


Arcanum

by IreneClaire



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Danny Has A Secret, Drama, Gen, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Steve, kidnapped Danny Williams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2013-05-20
Packaged: 2017-12-10 21:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/790484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IreneClaire/pseuds/IreneClaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny is lured into a trap on his way to work and Steve leads the team to track him down. The kidnapper demands that he reveal a secret from his time as a NJ detective, or else he will kill him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended. The same goes for the fantastic show and wonderful characters portrayed in Flashpoint.
> 
> Notes: the following is strongly based on an Episode of Flashpoint. One of my total favorites. Season 2; episode 16 "You Think You Know Someone", written by Adam Barken and directed by David Frazee.

_**Arcanum: a secret or mystery; carefully hidden knowledge.** _

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter One**

It started with a simple text message.

**_Help._ **

**_Bar on Keeaumoku Street._ **

**_Ana._ **

Danny didn't hesitate in changing direction on the freeway. He had known Ana for a very long time. For more years than he could now count .. from a time back in New Jersey when she was only 8 years old and he had just been promoted to detective. Now nearing her twentieth birthday, she had moved to Hawaii to start a new chapter in her life. She had unexpectedly knocked on his door one late evening after work to surprise him. And after only sharing emails and letters for three years, he had been rendered utterly speechless by the sight of the pretty young woman standing before him.

He had stood there barefoot, Longboard in hand and in total shock. He had barely managed to blurt her name out before she was in his arms. "Ana?"

 _"How did I know he asks?"_ She mocked him kiddingly as he pulled her into a Danno-sized hug that maybe had only ever been reserved for Grace.

 _"I was practically raised by a cop, Uncle Danny. Really? It wasn't exactly difficult to find you."_ That had been six months ago and Ana was now working for a large hotel chain as a public relations assistant.

They met for the occasional lunch or walk on the beach. Nothing too over the top because Ana was settling in and meeting appropriate people in her age group. She was maturing and he gave her both the space to find herself or the time she sometimes needed to share the fun and mundane moments of her first real job. He understood that on some level Ana still sought his approval, but was she was also happy and content for the first time in a long time. She loved her job and Danny loved seeing her success.

It was Monday morning and he was on his way into the office after having dropped Grace personally off at school. They had an exceptional weekend and Danny was in high spirits. He was already running late, but the priority box of mixed malasadas sat where Grace had been on the passenger seat of the car. However, with the vague text from Ana, he felt an old, familiar tight knot in his stomach.

**_Help._ **

**_Bar on Keeaumoku Street._ **

**_Ana._ **

He sighed worriedly as he hit speed dial to call Steve. His call was answered almost immediately and based on the early morning background laughter, he wasn't surprised that everyone was already in the office.

"Hey Steve."

He rolled his eyes to the roof of his Camaro at Steve's first words. _"You're late, pal. We have a meeting in 10."_

"Yeah, about that. Something personal's come up and I'm going to be a little later than planned."

He could hear movement on the other side and guessed correctly that Steve had gone to his office so he could close the door. _"Is everything alright? It's not Gracie is it?"_

"No, no, no. Calm down Uncle Stevie .. Grace is fine." Danny couldn't help grinning as he took the u-turn on the freeway that would loop him back downtown.

"It's all fine. I just have a small errand to take care of and then I'll be in."

 _"You sure?"_ Leave it to Steve to push, and the nudge became a shove in less time than it took for Danny to merge into traffic.

The grin grew across Danny's face as he wove in and out of cars and trucks towards his destination. Steve was pleading for more information, but this was truly personal and Danny wasn't willing to discuss this one particular thing. It pre-dated their friendship and hell, it even pre-dated him and Rachel. But just barely at that; and even with the ongoing calls, visits, emails and text messages that followed into their marriage, not even Rachel was aware of this one, very special relationship.

 _"Because .. I can help."_ He had zoned out and the back again as Steve's voice took on a plaintive tone.

_"Danny? Are you there? Is everything alright.. do you need any help?"_

His sigh was audible and for that, he silently apologized because his partner would pick up on that as a subtle clue. So blaming it on the heavy, rush-hour traffic, he hung up quickly. "No, I'm good. I'll see you within the hour."

After that, Danny drove just a bit faster to reach Ana. Even in that short text message, he thought he could feel her fear.

But he had left Steve staring a bit bewildered at his phone. Completely still in his office, he only looked up when Kono entered with a questioning look on her face.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." Steve frowned and then shook it off. "Danny's running a bit late ... we can begin without him."

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended. 
> 
> The same goes for the fantastic show and wonderful characters portrayed in Flashpoint.
> 
> Notes: Arcanum: a secret or mystery; carefully hidden knowledge. thank you for the encouraging reviews! The posting schedule may be a bit haphazard due to a pending vacation and unfortunate job issues. But chapters WILL BE posted within a day or two of each other.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter Two**

Danny parked just outside the bar which was at a busy intersection. Technically, it was an optimal location for any kind of business. However, this particular location was unfortunately in a shady part of town and while it was a hubbub of foot traffic, bikes and cars no one paid much attention to each other. Each person was intent on getting through the area and then on to his or her own affairs of the day. He noticed it all and then filed the knowledge away as he got out of his car and walked across the sidewalk. There were large potted plants outside the dingy doors in a vain attempt at decorating. But the dirt was a mass of snubbed out cigarettes and cigars; and at that early hour of the morning, the bar was also closed.

He shaded his eyes to peer into the establishment's dark and dingy interior. According to the posted sign, they closed their doors at two o'clock in the morning and would reopen again for a lunch-time crowd. However never on a Monday which obviously was a day of rest after a likely rowdy weekend. But looking at the gloomy interior, Danny was convinced that _crowd_ at any time of night or day might be a kind word.

Confused by Ana's instructions, Danny checked down the narrow side alley that bordered another block of stores and arcades. A few indigents were either sleeping it off or rummaging through the dumpsters that were overflowing from a long weekend. Completely ignored by the neighborhood clientele, he found with some amusement that he was attracting little to no attention.

"This is odd." Danny sighed to himself as he slowly turned in a circle and then took a few steps down the alley. He turned again to scan the sidewalk for Ana. It was a strange place to meet, even for her and his uncomfortable feelings grew tenfold. Worried now that something had happened to her, Danny was about to call or text her back, when a raspy voice sounded from behind him.

"Hey mister, you wanna score?" Danny turned to come face to face with a scrawny older man. Definitely a strung-out junkie who was obviously blind or obtuse if he didn't have an inkling that the well-dressed man was a cop. He was wearing a badly battered baseball cap that partially obscured his face but Danny's eyes immediately latched onto the hideous tattoo traced into the skin around his neck.

'Uh, no." Danny didn't want any part of him as he tried to amble casually away and back towards his car where it sat placidly in the more welcoming daylight.

"You sure?" The voice became plaintive and more whiney. "It's good stuff. Sale price .. just for you."

"No, get out of here." He muttered it again quickly and frowned because if the guy kept it up, he'd have to arrest him. The junkie followed him though with his hand picking needfully on his shirt sleeve. But unbeknownst to Danny, his other hand was casually fiddling with a pair of brass knuckles hidden in his jacket pocket.

The rasp deepened into a cough as the junkie persisted. "You sure? I can set you up."

"Beat it, buddy. Not now." Danny was just a few steps shy of the Camaro when the man suddenly started to choke and tremble.

"Damn it!" Danny groused as he reflexively caught the falling body and yanked out his cell phone. The junkie was a mess as he sagged in Danny's hands. And as he convulsed uncontrollably, it was all the more difficult to call 911.

"Hold on .. hold on .. I'll get an ambulance."

Danny pounded out the three numbers as the man's knees buckled and he finally propped him up against his own car with one hand fisted in the dirty shirt. More annoyed than worried, Danny kept his one hand in the man's chest while the other held the phone to his ear. "Damn it. Just .. stay there and don't move .. I'm getting you help."

And as soon as the emergency services operator answered, Danny rattled off his need quickly. "This is Detective Danny Williams, Five-0 task force. I have a possible overdose at the corner of Keeaumoku Street near Mayor's Bar. Send me a cruiser and an ambulance."

The operator heard him quite clearly but then she only heard an engine revving, the solid sound of something solid connecting with flesh and then the clatter of the cell phone as it hit the pavement. In the middle of confirming his request, she glued her headset to her ear and waved frantically for her supervisor.

_"Sir? Sir .. are you there? Hello?"_

Danny had barely finished speaking when he sensed the changes through his hand. The junkie had ceased the violent shaking and had actually straightened to his full height. In surprise, Danny turned to face him just as a black van screeched up next to the Camaro. But it was all happening too fast and he barely had time to register the fact that the man's face had completely altered into an angry snarl. His hand flashed forward and something blocky glinted in the light before connecting viciously with Danny's chin.  At nearly the same time, another blow slammed once into the back of his head. The simultaneous attack caused Danny to give out with a stunned gasp and his phone tumbled to the ground from numb fingers. He was unconscious before he vanished mere seconds later.

The junkie was left shouting after the van as he angrily demanded his payment. Palming an empty beer bottle, he heaved it down the road in a rage but missed the vehicle entirely. Cursing and continuing to yell, his violent anger sent one lone bag lady hurriedly rushing for cover with her over-flowing shopping cart of junk.

Left alone and now drawing unwanted attention, he took off in the opposite direction to run deeper between the buildings. There was a short lull on the streets as the excitement came to an eery end. And then just a few moments later, the much too brief incident was already forgotten. Those that had kept their eyes averted were long gone; while those who had watched with an avid interest shrugged and walked away. But sliding out of the shadows, the lone bag lady reappeared and cautiously checked the now quiet alley.

The pretty car was still parked on the street corner, but she didn't want that. Her brilliant eyes had sneakily watched the cell phone fall to the ground and she hoped it still worked. She would like to have that and she spied it under the front tire of the man's shiny silver car. Scurrying forward, she snatched the phone with her dirty fingers and then moved quickly away with her shopping cart. By the time she reached the next block, she was humming a silly tune while she stroked her special prize under her tattered sweater.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Less than two minutes after Danny had contacted emergency services, Steve was answering a call from the 911 Operator's supervisor and the actual recording was replayed in the Five-0 office for the entire team to hear.

_"This Detective Danny Williams, Five-0 task force. I have a possible overdose at the corner of Keeaumoku Street near Mayor's Bar. Send me a cruiser and an ambulance."_

Steve's fingers clenched painfully at the corners of his desk when he heard the sounds of a large vehicle, the soft pained groan followed by the distant sound of a slamming door; and then nothing as the call disconnected. He knew without a doubt that the cell phone had simply fallen from Danny's hands.

"Get geared up. Now." He didn't need to say that either because they were already moving as one out the door and gathering their equipment on a run.

The ride to Danny's last known location was tense as Kono coordinated additional support with HPD. By the time they arrived, three other cruisers with Duke Lukela in charge were in attendance and both the Camaro and the alley had been cordoned off as a crime scene. An ambulance sat off to the side but the medics were standing aimlessly by on the sidewalk. Steve eyed them worriedly before moving towards the Camaro. It was blatantly obvious that they had no _'customer'_ to care for - there was no sign of an overdose victim or of an injured police officer.

"Thanks, Duke." Chin grasped the man's shoulder in gratitude as they all ducked under the tape and immediately began searching in different directions for the cell phone or any signs of a struggle. It didn't take Chin long to confirm what Duke had found; there was no evidence of any kind in the small area.

"Nothing, Steve. No blood. No signs of a fight or a struggle ..absolutely nothing."

"That doesn't mean that there wasn't one." The reply was blunt and dangerous as Steve cased the street and alley. He saw exactly what Danny had initially noted too. A very busy street lined with dive establishments, boarded up store fronts and pawn shops; with more than the usual amount of street walkers and junkies. People walked by quickly with their eyes down or averted especially since they more than likely had their own unsavory business dealings. But with the police presence now growing, those watching were becoming fewer and farther between with the more longer term residents already in hiding.

"Why the hell would he come here?" There was no answer to Steve's futile question; the section of town was less than desirable and it made no sense. Yet, the Camaro was parked tauntingly on the corner.

"Car's not locked but nothing is missing." Kono had quickly checked the glove compartment and trunk for signs of theft or to see if Danny had taken any other equipment or weapons. She paused when she saw the unopened bakery box of fresh malasadas left on the passenger seat. It was frightening in its normalcy and she watched Steve's face darken when he ducked his head into the interior as well.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as her worry grew. "Everything is still here; he wasn't expecting trouble."

"No. No he certainly wasn't." Steve agreed as he continually surveyed the area and absorbed their startling lack of findings. Barely 20 or 25 minutes had passed since their own conversation and Danny sounded distracted, but not overtly concerned. He knew whomever he was intending to visit that morning; and then something had gone terribly wrong.

"It was a trap." Steve ran his hands over his face and then pointed to the small number of nearby gawkers. It was the first and most obvious answer. "Danny was lured here. On purpose."

His next demands were to the fully assembled joint team. "Talk to these people .. knock on doors. Search every nook and cranny. Someone had to have seen something. And Kono .. track down his cell phone."

"On it." But as they had anticipated, most of the locals had already gone into hiding as soon as the police presence took over the area. Those that were now watching had shown up well after the action and so, hadn't seen anything and were of no help. Bit by bit, the search widened out of necessity.

Lingering by the car, Steve uselessly continued his search in and around the Camaro before checking his watch. The streets were emptying and people were slowly moving on. The ambulance crew had been called to another emergency and were in the process of departing. Danny had seemingly vanished into thin air and there was distressingly nothing to go on. But he rocked quickly off the driver's side door at Kono's triumphant shout.

"Steve! GPS on the phone shows it five blocks over!" Kono was nearly ecstatic with the finding as she shoved her device virtually under his nose. "Slow pace .. someone's on the move .. likely walking."

He bolted back towards his truck with Chin and Kono quick to follow and then shouted orders over his shoulder.

"Duke, keep the site secure. Get forensics down here now. Run it all under a microscope." With a quick wave, Lukela began speaking immediately to the precinct. And before Steve could demand an All Points Bulletin, he was already providing Danny's badge number and related information to any available police officer on the island.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Kono laid out all of her gear on the backseat of the large truck. Sitting sideways on her right hip, she had two tablets open and churning away while simultaneously monitoring the GPS signal from Danny's cell phone. Moments later, she was pointing towards the sadly forlorn shape of a homeless woman who was struggling down the street with an over-burdened shopping cart of junk.

"You've got to be kidding me. Her?" Chin complained softly under his breath. The disgusted and disappointed sound from Steve echoed the strong sentiment.

Steve parked and dismally studied the ragged woman before heaving himself out of his truck. He needed to shelve his stress before spooking her too badly and it was obvious by her faster scurry, that she had seen them. Going wide, Chin headed her off as Steve approached from the side. And then before she could back up, Kono had her hand placed gently on the woman's skinny back.

"We need to ask you a few questions." Steve's voice was unnaturally soft as he placed a restraining hand on her shopping cart.

"I didn't do anything. I mind my own business." Her eyes were large in her dirty face as she tried to move the cart literally through Chin. She had to stop when Chin's hand joined Steve's on the rusty metal frame.

"I'd like to go now. You don't need me."

"It's okay. Just a few questions and then you can leave. Do you have a cell phone?" Steve cut to the chase quickly to forestall the inevitable and he could see the lie in her eyes before she even opened her mouth. The quick glance to a pile of dirty clothes in the corner of the wagon was much too obvious.

"Do I look like someone who has a phone?" The nasty remark was surprising and he narrowed his eyes to study her more closely, but Chin was already dialing Danny's number. Seconds later the tell-tale ring was emanating faintly from that same pile of rubbish.

"What's that then?" Steve pointed his finger and then dug deeply down towards the tune. "Sounds like a phone to me."

"Not mine. No, no. Not mine. I didn't put it there." Shaking her head in complete denial, the woman held her hand up as if warding off evil. Only Kono's strong fingers planted solidly on her back kept her from bolting away in total fear. She was trembling before pointing to the phone that Steve now held and her next words made Kono look nervously to Steve. His jaw was tight with worry and anger at the woman's too bold hint as she jealously eyed the device.

"But that guy .. he doesn't need it anymore anyway."

"Tell me about it." Steve ignored her tone as he prompted her gently. But the simple question made her dark eyes dart about for a way to escape. Losing her, he waggled the phone teasingly in front of her face.

"The guy. How do you know he doesn't need this?"

"Because he's dead." She spat out the words and then did try to leave, but Kono grabbed her arm firmly to keep her in place. Her eyes darkened more as she glanced nervously to Steve's face and then over to Chin.

"He's dead and I need to go now."

Steve felt the ice forming in the pit of his stomach as the woman escalated; he had no doubt she was at least telling some of the truth. But hopefully not all of it was truthful; or maybe, it was only an impression because it was obvious that she dearly coveted Danny's cell phone. So Steve listened to her with a bit of a filter as he memorized every word she uttered because it just could help.

"Did you see what happened?" He kept his voice level and low while her fingers nervously drummed on the shopping cart's push handles. "Tell me again why he doesn't need this."

"He doesn't need it because he's dead. I told you." She rolled her eyes as if making fun of his question and then bounced nervously on her toes. Her voice rose and then a rush of words followed.

"The Scorpion man did it .. he hit the blonde one and then the big van took him away."

"So he was taken then?" Steve felt a rush of relief. Not dead. Taken. Stepping forward, he pushed excitedly for more information and the woman quailed under his more intense gaze.

"Who is this Scorpion? What van? What color .. what else did you see?" Eyes wide, Steve's questions were almost too fast and Chin had to intervene before they lost the woman completely. Her momentary brightness was turning back to fear and walls were coming up in earnest.

"Easy, Steve. She's not coping well." His quietly soft hiss of words made Steve raise his hands to release her shopping cart. And Steve ground his teeth in frustration as truly frightened tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. With a measured intent, he forced himself to back up in order to give her a modicum of space.

"I'm sorry. My mistake. Tell me about this Scorpion." He was pleading with her to hang on just a bit longer to sanity and Kono had started to rub soothing circles on her back.

"Who is this Scorpion?" Kono repeated under breath. "Does he live around here?"

The woman's black eyes flickered over each of them before she nodded and then pointed back towards where Danny had been abducted. She put her hand on her neck and pantomimed a pattern being drawn there.

"He has a big black tattoo of a scorpion here. Ugly .. ugly .. ugly, haole. We all call him the Scorpion and no one goes near him. He's bad, bad bad."

She heaved in a shaky breath. "He did it. He hit the blonde one hard and then pushed him into the black shiny van. And then they were gone. One, two, three. Fast."

Each number was said in a sing-song voice and she pounded her wagon with her fist three times. Once for each word.

"Black van? Did you see how many there were?" Steve was almost whispering as he tried to finagle more useful information out of the homeless woman. He could see they were losing her again and praying that what she said would hold some truth.

"Nice ride. Shiny and new .. all black. But they left Scorpion man and he was mad. He yelled at them. He threw a bottle at them. But they only took the blond one." Her voice faded and she eyed Danny's cell phone that Steve had clenched so tightly in his hand.

Her fingers clawed for it and Steve put the device quickly into his pocket as her face fell woefully. "That .. he left it .. he doesn't need it anymore."

"No." Steve let the one word fall softly into the air. "No. I'm sorry."

He turned away and left the woman to Chin and Kono before taking a seat back in his truck. The absurdity of finding a tattooed junkie left him almost in a dazed stupor. His hands were beginning to shake as he pulled Danny's cell phone back out and rested it in his lap.

"What were you doing down here, Danno?" Steve closed his eyes and waited; he needed the time to sit in the stillness of his truck and gather his thoughts. Of all that she said, he refused to believe that his partner was dead. Kidnapped, certainly. But not dead.

He knew that Chin and Kono would be further calming the woman and attempting to get something else out of her. But he also knew that it would be a senseless waste of time. She had blurted out everything of value in the first few minutes; nothing else would be forthcoming. Still deep in thought, Steve held Danny's cell phone in his fingers and paged through the last used function screens. Expecting to see his own number as the last one dialed, he cursed to himself when he actually saw '911'. But the prior call was in fact to his own phone.

And then out of habit, he intended to thumb through the text messages. However, he never got passed the first one which had been received just a few seconds before Danny had called the office.

Steve's bleary eyes read the message three times before they focused hard and he truly absorbed the words.

**_Help._ **

**_Bar on Keeaumoku Street_ **

**_Ana._ **

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

He lay on the floor of the van and rocked in time to its motion more unconscious than aware of his surroundings. After knocking him senseless, the one man had zip-tied his hands behind his back and taken his gun. It took many more minutes for Danny to fight through the dizzying haze and understand that his own gun was aimed directly at his head. A heavy pipe undoubtedly stained with his blood lay off to the side and rolled from side to side as the van lurched along through traffic. He coughed when he tasted more blood on his tongue, and he couldn't bite back the moan when he tried to move. The pain in his head immediately sky-rocketed and Danny's vision swirled and then grayed ominously.

And the man wasn't quite yet a man, but almost. And after a long moment where his eyes finally agreed to focus, Danny realized that he actually recognized him. It had been more than three years and in the life of a growing teenager, that was a long period of time. Danny recognized his eyes first, then his profile and it was definitely the same person. But he was broader of shoulder now. Taller and much more well-built with the promise of being an even more impressive hulking man.

"Robbie?" The name was coughed out in complete bewilderment and Danny groaned as the van hit a pothole and his injured head banged unceremoniously into the uncarpeted metal floor. The driver was on the freeway and Danny could feel the acceleration as they entered traffic.

"What .. are you doing .. here?"

But instead of answering, Robbie grinned maliciously and held his fingers to his lips. The young man reached down and shook out a heavy piece of black cloth and the slid it over Danny's head. The hood was immediately hot and blinding. The movement was too fast and it jarred his head making Danny grimace from the sharp pain and he whispered the name again as he closed his eyes to the darkness.

"Robbie."

The bad boy had changed into a dangerous man who had obviously sent the dire text message. He had a grudge to settle and Danny had unwittingly fallen for the trap.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"I want to know who she is, Kono. Trace every damned phone call, text message and email."

He knew that Kono would be reluctant to set those wheels in motion because he innately felt the same way. It was a terrible invasion of privacy and trust amongst their own. But they had no choice because they needed to find Danny and only this Ana would know what had happened. Steve rubbed his hands over his face. His eyes were already burning from the stress and yet only thirty minutes had elapsed since the 911 call.

He met her eyes in the rearview mirror and tried to smile. "It's okay, Kono. He'll understand. Just do it."

"It looks like the caller cloned the phone used." She was sitting in the back of the pickup truck with Danny's phone connected to her laptop. She hadn't been able to successfully trace the text message. However, it didn't take her long to access Danny's full data both from the device and remotely to their larger server and then on to his work computer. She had other call records now and a name. And while that was being done, Steve was almost aimlessly driving up and down the Honolulu streets in a type of grid-like fashion looking for a shiny new black van, a junkie with an ugly scorpion tattoo or any sign of Danny. It did little good for Steve to know that the entire HPD police force was literally doing exactly the same thing.

Kono made a sound in her throat as she compared the growing list of notes, text messages and emails. The download related to Ana Madison was long and detailed; daily conversations dated back months, then years and no one knew what to make of it.

"Her full name is Ana Madison. He's known her for a long time." Kono shared as she paged through the dates in the long archive. "A really long time."

"An affair?" Chin voiced the option and Steve immediately refused that theory. The messages were a confusing array of gentle conversations, advice and simple hello's. As an outsider, none of it made sense and the download only gave them more cause to question what Danny had been doing with the woman.

"The text message indicated she was in trouble. But obviously, she may not have sent it herself." Steve complained loudly. "He wasn't worried about meeting her .. at least, I didn't pick up anything when we spoke. In fact, he said that he'd be in the office within the hour."

Chin was pensive as he peered closely down a dark alley they slowly drove past. "But none of this tells us anything about who she is. Only that they knew each other."

"Could be just a friend or even another cop." Kono offered as yet other alternatives.

"I don't know anyone here by that name. Do either of you?" Their global silence confirmed that too. However, Kono was still pounding through the download and attempting to build relationships with their larger database.

"Found her. Wow." Kono's voice rose almost in alarm and Steve immediately pulled over to the curb. She was intent on what she was paging through and the information that she was finding clearly surprised her the more she read.

She got so caught up, she forgot to speak and Chin had to prompt her again as she became absorbed in her latest findings. "Kono. What?"

"She's young. Ana Madison is only 19 years old. Originally from Patterson, New Jersey. According to her last social worker's records, she was placed in the foster system when she was 8 years old. But she was lucky enough to remain with one family in Clifton. She moved here about 6 months ago for a new full-time job with a local hotel chain."

There was almost a sigh of relief based on the average nature of what Kono was finding. Except there was a major complication; Danny had been abducted and Ana Madison seemed to be the link.

"That rules out girlfriend." Chin remarked softly. "But what else? Other than the Jersey connection, so far this is not making any sense. Is she a friend? Or maybe she's the daughter of a friend? We could call Rachel .. she may know." But Kono had another idea as she quickly held up her hand for him to stop talking.

"Hold on. I'm doing a global name search in national police files and overlaying Danny's information. It's worth a shot to start with police records." They waited impatiently as Kono tapped away silently on her computer. And a few minutes later, there was a glimmer of a smile as a her key words sparked a list of search results.

"Okay, I've got a news article from a little more than 10 years ago about a homicide in Patterson, New Jersey. A warrant was served on a suspect, Mitch Runyon and the suspect opened fire on police. Forty-two year old Jana Madison was killed in the crossfire and the ranking detective on-scene was Danny Williams."

Kono chewed on that information as she read it out loud and then looked up from the computer screen. "According to this article, there was a child involved. A little girl. Remanded to CPS. Ten to one this Ana is the child and she was related to Jana Madison. Mother and daughter? It would have made her 8 or 9 years old and somehow Danny ..?"

Steve interrupted her and nodded in agreement. "And for whatever reason Danny .. was  _Danny_." The timeline just slightly pre-dated Grace's own arrival on earth and Steve had to smile at the coincidence.

"Can you open the actual file?" But Kono was already trying and groaning in frustration.

"No, I can't do it. Even with our security level and permissions. The original case file's permanently sealed. Access is denied."

"What?" Steve turned around totally in his seat to glare angrily at the computer screen. He frowned at the obvious warning message that had popped up as Kono's requested access was officially denied by the bland system.

"Sealed? Why?"

"I don't know .. I can't figure that out!" Just as upset, Kono was racing through her arsenal of supplies. "I'll call his old precinct .. find someone .. anyone that can help us out here. I'll call CPS too and track down the case worker."

"You do that." He didn't mean to growl at her as he picked up his own phone to call Duke Lukela directly with Ana's work related information. He wanted everything done all at once, but the sealed file obviously held critical clues. HPD could pay a visit to Ana's place of employment and either pick her up or at minimum, question her co-workers. They only hoped that the girl would actually be there. But Steve's sense of foreboding grew; for all they knew, Ana could also be involved or she needed to be in protective custody. They simply didn't know enough yet. Plus they needed to locate this junkie with the scorpion tattoo. In the meantime and as each bit was slowly unraveled, he wanted access to that locked case file.

"Kono, you do that .. and I'm calling Denning. We don't have time for a court order to be issued. That could take days and we obviously don't have the luxury of time."

A few minutes later, Kono was provided with a very special telephone number. But after speaking to the Governor, it was Steve who called Ana's former social worker directly to gain more insight into the situation. She was worried immediately by his call and he had to reassure her as best as possible that Ana was okay .. as far as they knew, but they needed important background information. What he learned after that was short of incredible and Chin eyed Steve quizzically because he and Kono were only hearing half the conversation.

Pausing, Steve put his cell phone on speaker and introduced his team so they could all listen to Gladys Wilson.

_"Ana adores him. She calls him Uncle Danny. And as I explained, yes, I'm well aware of the visits, phone calls and emails. Danny keeps her on the straight and narrow. Though he pushed college on her, we're all very proud of her for getting such a wonderful full-time job through our vocational training program. It's an incredible opportunity and it was incredibly hard for her to keep it a secret from him until she arrived in Honolulu a few months ago. But she wanted to surprise him."_

The woman hesitated and sobered.  _"And the homicide? I only know a little bit about that night from Ana. She doesn't remember anything except that Danny was there. She was only 8 years old and I can't imagine what that child saw in that bedroom. She went for months of therapy but never could share more than Danny finding her under the bed."_

"So, you think you know someone." Steve muttered under his breath in total bewilderment. He thought he knew virtually everything about Danny Williams and most of his past important cases. But this one was new. And while it wasn't overly surprising, it still was at the same time. It was a very big deal to all of them and for some reason, involvement in that former case was threatening Danny's life today.

_"I do know from another Detective that Danny covered her up. He protected her from those terrible sights and wouldn't let her see or experience anything of what I understand was a gruesome crime scene. He stayed with her for hours and wouldn't let her out of his sight until Child Protective Services showed up. A lot of people wouldn't have cared enough to do that."_

Steve easily heard the admiration in Gladys Wilson's voice and he closed his eyes as he softly whispered his agreement. "Yeah, but Danny would."

_"Later on, Ana had some drug problems of her own and Danny got her through those too. They talked for hours and then, once she broke up with Robbie, she got back on track. And slowly things clicked into place for her like perfect clockwork .. such as this wonderful job. She's grown up to be a good person and she has a decent head on her shoulders."_

"Wait. Who is this Robbie?" Chin asked. Even over the phone, they could sense the resentment in Glady's tone. She didn't like him and was happy that he eventually had been forced from Ana's life.

_"Robbie Clancey. Long line of meth-heads in that family. Bad news. He and Ana met in the program and Danny didn't approve of him one bit. Neither did I. He tried for months to get back into her life. But Ana had moved on and was entering the vocational program. Their last argument was intense and I haven't seen or heard about him in more than a full year. But back then .. Robbie .. he was no fan of Danny's for breaking them up."_

The bad feeling was growing and for some reason, Steve found himself asking an odd question. "What's he like?"

And then the disgusted snort on the other side of the speaker phone almost confirmed what was coming.  _"He was a handsome boy and he makes a great first impression. Until you get to know him."_

 _"I guess we can't help them all. And sometimes the system does them no favors at all."_ There may have been a hint of remorse, but then Gladys was very firm about her description of Robbie Clancey.  _"He has no conscience. No sense of right or wrong. Frankly, he's always scared me."_

Thanks, Gladys." Steve looked worriedly at each of his team-mates as the call ended. They were all upset but also now more understanding at least some of the background. And each of them was now wondering if Robbie Clancey could have traveled to Hawaii to exact some type of revenge based on a childhood incident.

"It fits. This part with Ana as a child .. it's all Danny." He grimaced unhappily and rubbed his face. "But we don't know if this Robbie Clancey would go so far as to come here. Kidnap Danny?"

"So what happened? We hardly know her, but I don't understand how Ana could possibly be involved like this." Chin asked. "It doesn't sound as if she would ever try and hurt him."

"No, it's not her. Not directly anyway. I mean it  _is_." Her voice was faint but Kono was closing in on something just based on her slightly distracted tone.

"Wow. You two aren't going to like this." She was reading an email sent to her from Danny's old police precinct; specifically from the file clerk that maintained the archives. He was only able to share one minor detail about the sealed files. And her shocked expression almost said it all as she looked first to Chin and then to Steve.

"What?" In unison, the two men drew in a worried breath.

"Danny's the one that locked the case files. He had them legally sealed by an official court order. We do need Denning."

_**~ to be continued~** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended. The same goes for the fantastic show and wonderful characters portrayed in Flashpoint.
> 
> Notes: Happy Mother's Day to all the "Mom's" ... get yourselves spoiled rotten!

**Chapter 5**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

They all paused to stare at each other in complete astonishment as Steve slowly repeated her words. "Danny? He requested to have them closed?"

Nodding, Kono broke the trance first as she bent back down to her tablet. "He filed for the court order himself."

"While we wait on Denning, I've got another idea about finding this Clancey character. Just give me a few more minutes." Steve leaned back heavily in the driver's seat and closed his eyes. His mind was a jumbled mass of disorder and he sensed Chin in a similar turmoil.

"Why would he do that?" Chin asked softly. "It's got to be something about the case with Runyon. Something about the shoot-out and Jana Madison's death in the cross-fire?"

Steve only scowled in response because Denning was working hard on getting the files opened for them. Guessing did no good when they needed hard facts. If she were there, HPD was in the process of retreiving Ana Madison from her place of employment. It would only be a matter of time before they had what they needed; however, time was still the most critical factor. But knowing his partner and now learning that a child had been involved, Steve had his own private opinions forming.

"It could be, but it's more likely that the reason revolves around Ana." Steve hadn't meant to voice his thoughts, but as he did Chin caught his eye and he saw the germ of agreement. Sealing records kept their individual files and documents from being publicly accessible. Valid reasons could include a number of things, one of which pertained to protecting the interests of a juvenile.

They turned as Kono shifted in the back seat of the truck and then mumbled to herself. Her voice gained in intensity as she confirmed her findings.

"Yes, this is something. No hits on Robert, Rob or Robbie Clancey; if he did stuff as a juvie offender, there's a good chance that those files are going to be locked too. However as Gladys so aptly stated: with a long line of meth heads, I've got a Joe Clancey, resident of Honolulu. He's forty-five years old and has multiple convictions. Possession with intent to distribute. Assault with a deadly weapon and  _look -_."

"That is nasty." The snarky comment was said as Kono turned the screen to face the front of the truck so they could both see the man's mug shot. The tattoo was bold and large, and it also didn't look as if an expert had done the work. "Look at his neck."

Chin muffled a curse as Steve physically pulled the small tablet out of her hands. "Scorpion tattoo. Just like our bag lady described."

"And another member of this esteemed Clancey clan right here on our island." Steve offered her a grateful smile as he shook his head in awe. "All I need to give you is a laptop and a car charger and you're unstoppable!"

She smiled and only shrugged at his next challenge. "So now, I want this entire connection hashed out from beginning to end. Ana, Robbie, Joe and these closed case files. We're closer but it's still not making too much sense."

There was one confusing tid bit of information and Chin voiced their common question. "If we believe our bag lady, this Joe Clancey was left behind - and maybe on purpose? He was angry. Violent."

"Yup, but we have a name now .. and a place. It's building and we have more. There is no way on earth that another Clancey is just a coincidence." Kono shrugged before tapping quickly on her tablet again. "Let's go pay him a visit. He was arrested last week for disorderly conduct. I have an address. It's a few blocks over from where Danny was attacked."

The man might not be there. In fact, the odds were not in their favor of finding him at all. But it was rock solid evidence, they had a neighborhood where people would have seen him, and a firm starting place. A name, a telling photograph and a detailed history on a critical perpetrator that had personally been involved with Danny's abduction. And the grin on Steve's face was priceless as he got back on the road and sped to Clancey's location.

The true reason was still illusive, but they were decidedly closer on whomever had laid a trap for his partner.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Clancey's residence was a dilapidated barely livable series of rooms above a tattoo parlour. It was obvious that a few people were there based on the blaring music and rowdy laughter. As they approached the door, Steve motioned for Chin and Kono to take offensive stances as they stormed the main room. Other than the fire escape, they were standing in the only doorway as a few stunned inhabitants tried to stumble to their feet or merely rolled over to continue drug-enduced napping.

But Steve saw Clancey instantly as he tried to struggle to his feet from a worn and terrible mattress that lay directly on the dingy floor. By the stunned expression on his face, the junkie wasn't expecting company.

Steve however, was elated.

"Where is he." There were no introductions or preamble as Joe Clancey was helped roughly to his feet in one smooth motion when Steve gripped his filthy t-shirt by the neck and nearly ripped it off his body. The deadly stare bore into the drug addict with one clear warning and he only tried once to pull away by picking weakly at Steve's wrists.

"Where .. the hell .. is he?"

"Don't know who or what you mean." Clancey whined as he hung limply in Steve's hands. He knew better than to struggle with cops and these three looked like more than just the basic, run of the mill kind. Ogling their weaponry, he was undeniably scared as both Chin and Kono blocked the man's acquaintances from leaving. It took only a few seconds to line those who were physically able up along the wall in submissive positions as Steve roughly frisked the addict, himself.

"What do we have here?" The brass knuckles lay dangerously now in Steve's palm and he flipped them idly over and over with his gloved fingers. The whispered question was hissed out on an exhale.

"Did you hit him with these?"

Clancey's eyes bulged in fear as Steve wrapped his fingers even more firmly around his neck to cut off his breath. The very personal affront was clear and he wasn't so very stupid to realize what it implied. Reacting too slowly to the 911 call being made; and then not quite hearing what the victim was saying. Clancey had also screwed up. But Robbie had given very specific instructions about timing the abduction. Starting with the flashy silver Camaro, Robbie had even described what the blonde business man would look like down to the boring mainland shoes he would be wearing.

_"I'll be watching. When Paul flashes the highbeams, count to five and we'll be there. Hit, scoop and run. Don't screw up, Joe. This is cake and trust me .. this guy .. he won't suspect a thing."_

So he had done precisely what he'd been told to do and Robbie was right that the guy had been distracted and very unsuspecting. But as Joe cowered in Steve's hands, he realized that he had screwed up in an incredibly big way. Robbie had intentionally left him hanging and that hadn't been part of the original deal. And here he was - staring fearfully up at a big man who was near to strangling him alive. He had helped his psychotic cousin abduct a  _cop_  and he was now left holding the proverbial bag.

"So? Did you?" The man gave him a solid shake and Joe gagged against the tight fingers as he dimly noted the name on the black tac-vest. "McGarrett". Maybe he was of Irish ancestry and Clancey could plead for a distant camaraderie; but as he looked into the angry face he decided against the poor idea. In fact, his own brass knuckles were so close to his eyes they were a shiny golden blur.

"Because this is going to be a real problem for you. A very, significant problem."

Chin sidled closer to make another point very clear as he put a gentling hand on Steve's forearm. "Are you sure you don't know something? Because if we book all your friends here but decide to let you go ... you know what that will look like, right?"

The left side of Steve's face lips twisted upwards in an approving sneer as he simply dropped his fingers from the man's neck and carefully smoothed the wrinkles from the grubby t-shirt. Without support, Clancey rocked unsteadily on his feet to regain his balance. Totally confused by the terrifying change in tone, he looked from one to the other before taking a tiny step backwards.

The bigger cop folded his arms arrogantly across his chest as he thumbed the brass knuckles idly and nodded with a tight, grim smile. "There you go, pal. I think that's a great idea. It should improve your stance in the community. You'll be a super star. You'll be the life of the party."

"What?" Clancey swallowed hard and nervously glanced at the dealers and junkies lining the wall in his miserable apartment. Some were already glaring at him in a threatening way and he would be either badly beaten or killed by sunset. But he was also in trouble with the new brand breed of cops that were still brandishing his brass knuckles under his very nose.

"Umm. So, yeah maybe I do know." He coughed uncomfortably and then motioned towards the door. If these cops didn't find his cousin first, he was already planning multiple ways to pay him back for this very special favor. And starting that moment as a form of down payment, talking to these cops wasn't such a bad idea.

"That boy is crazy you know. I introduced him to a few people back in Jersey who helped him relocate here. You know how that is. So I help him do one more little thing and he goes off the deep end. He definitely takes after his mother's side of the family. She committed suicide you know." His nervous ramblings were brought up short since Steve only wanted to expound on only one particular item.

"What boy? I want a name." The snarl was back in Steve's voice as he anchored his hand firmly to the back of Clancey's neck. He knew for certain then, but he wanted Joe to say it out loud. Kono shifted her feet uncomfortably because they were all thinking the same thing before the junkie uttered the first syllable.

"Robbie." And then Steve was pushing him violently forward and out of the small apartment. "It was Robbie. My cousin Robbie Clancey. He hit the islands just a few months ago .. he said this guy .. this business guy .. owed him a lot of money. I was just helping him out. He was going to cut me in on it."

Chin worriedly looked at Steve as his hand tightened around the man's neck again. "This guy. I guess your cousin forgot to mention that this  _guy_ , just happened to be a cop."

"Cop?" It was a weak whimper that only confirmed Clancey's growing nightmare as he paled more and visibly shrunk into a smaller ball. He'd been catching on during the unexpected intrusion. He only hoped he was wrong. He was definitely going to pay Robbie back for this rather significant omission.

"No, I uh .. no. He .. ah .. he only said the guy owed him a lot of money. He was from Jersey and had stiffed Robbie for a lot of cash back there. Just money. But .. I know where they are and I can get you there." Joe glanced behind him nervously as his low-life peers eyed him up and down. With the volume of menacing looks, he decided that he'd much rather take his chances with the cops.

"In fact, I can take you there right now."

"Wise decision." Steve hesitated only for a moment before rocking the man hard into the wall of the dilapidated building one final time. In Steve's mind, Joe Clancey was stupid and he needed constant reminders. If Robbie's side of the Clancey clan was deviously psychotic, then Joe's was plain stupid and he didn't mind doling out another one of life's more difficult lessons. The junkie winced at the physical pain when the air left his lungs and his head crashed into the hard plaster.

Chin's whisper was something only Steve heard and its warning was clear. "Steve. We need to get a move on. Find Danny."

He heard Chin but couldn't stop himself from one more hard shove. The connection between Ana, Robbie and Danny was confirmed but a lovers-quarrel between teenagers seemed like a poor excuse to kidnap a cop. They needed the case files opened; but for now, Joe Clancey would do just fine.

Flicking imaginary dust from the junkie's shirt, Steve lowered his voice threateningly. "Oh, and I forgot something else. If you try anything funny ..or if anything happens to our friend .. trust me, you won't live to regret it."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny was shaken awake and then pulled cruelly to his feet before he had a chance to understand what was happening. He had fallen into a semi-conscious state during the ride and hadn't even been aware that the van had finally stopped moving. The hood was still on his head though and he could feel the heat of the sun baking through his shirt almost immediately. Robbie had the front of his shirt fisted in his hand as he yanked and pulled Danny from the back of the vehicle. Buttons popped from the strain as the shirt was stretched past its limits.

"Move." The following shove sent him sprawling first to his knees and then on to his stomach in the dirt outside the old factory. Unable to stop himself, Danny hit the ground hard and the dingy material from the hood was uncomfortably sucked into his mouth as he gasped vainly for fresher air.

"Get him up." Another contemptuous order from Robbie had the van's driver heaving Danny to his feet and dragging him forcibly in through an old side door. The only relief he could feel was that he was out of the sun for the building was old and even through the dark material, the stench of urine and ammonia was overwhelming. Another shove sent him to his knees for a second time and Danny couldn't hide the wounded sound as his bad knee connected with the hard concrete floor. The hood was finally pulled from his head and Danny sat back on his heels with his eyes closed just gulping in air regardless of the vile odors.

From that position, he finally forced his eyes open and tried to look around. Based on the types of bad smells wafting around him, he wasn't entirely surprised to see the many barbecue-sized propane tanks and tables upon tables of household products and what looked like laboratory equipment. What was overwhelming though was the veritable size of the old building. Craning his neck upwards and wincing at the pain in his head, Danny blinked through the broken shafts of sunlight and was startled by its sheer breadth. Robbie had either built a meth lab on the island, or he was working for someone with the means and method. Behind him, he could hear a large door being slammed shut and then a chain as it was bolted and locked securely into place. They had reached their destination and it was obvious Robbie had no intentions of allowing him out again.

"What are you doing, Robbie?" Danny coughed as he forced his mouth to work. Besides his obvious injuries, the acrid odors were almost overwhelming and they aggravated his throat.

His voice was coarse and he had to cough around the blood that was still oozing in his mouth from where the old junkie had punched him. Along with his head, now his chin was hot and throbbing from the deeply bruised swelling. "I think you made a mistake here. Nice meth lab. I see you're working your way up but I really don't care about your game or what you're into. The biggest issue for you is that you've just kidnapped, assaulted and detained a cop unlawfully."

And as he ran his tongue over the jagged tear in his cheek, Danny had trouble controlling his own anger. But he heard the worried gasp from behind him and another voice sounded out. A voice that was as young or even younger than his primary abductor, but absolutely petrified where Robbie was dangerously vicious.

"Hey! You said he owed you money. He's a cop?"

"Shut up, Paul." Robbie was holding Danny's gun a mere inch from the side of his head.

"He owes me more than money." Glaring down at him, Robbie leered warningly. "You have something very important to tell Ana. And if you tell her the truth, then just maybe I won't kill you.

Danny frowned as Robbie motioned to his frightened partner who was staring in total disbelief at Danny. "Paul. Get over here and take this gun. I have an important errand to run."

"We took a cop!" Paul was stunned and incredulous by the news. And though his head hurt badly, Danny watched what was happening with interest. The new kid was out of his league and he was now shouting as he resentfully took the weapon thrust into his hands.

"He's a  _cop_ , Robbie? Are you crazy, man?"

"Don't disappoint me, Paul. Don't let him move .. if he twitches .. shoot him." Danny swayed on his knees and closed his eyes again while he listened to the short argument. He sensed Robbie leave and Paul take his place but the atmosphere had changed; Paul was more than just a little uncertain. And where Robbie had gained significant mass in physical stature since Danny had last seen him, this Paul was more of your typical teenager. Tall and reedy, he was fit but in a surfer's lean, lanky body. The fact that he was wearing striped board shorts made the predicament all the more ludicrous.

Danny squinted up to get a better look and shook his head dismally. His own weapon was still aimed directly at his head, but Paul's hand was shaking like a leaf in the wind. "So Paul, have you ever a held a gun before?"

He spoke softly when it practically jangled in the air as tremors shook the boy's hand. "Have you? Because you look a little uncomfortable."

But Paul blanched at the question and then became defensive by taking the gun firmly with two hands. It mimicked what the kid had probably seen in the movies and the stance was decidedly sad and his expression, quite unconvincing. "Of course I have. Just shut up."

Scared was an understatement and it made things both better and worse as Paul's hands continued to shake more violently. He was only a few feet away and even a bad shot would find its way into Danny's head.

"Okay. Fine. So you've held a gun. But tell me, how did you get messed up with kidnapping a cop?" Danny kept his voice measured and careful. Possibly not quite eighteen or nineteen, Paul was definitely a bit younger than Ana and Robbie. He certainly lacked Robbie's violent other worldliness and he was absolutely scared to death.

"Sounds like Robbie lied to you, man. You okay with that? Or are you more worried about disappointing him?" He lowered his voice and looked intently into Paul's eyes to get his point across.

"You don't need to get more involved with Robbie's problems; you can walk away now and no one would be the wiser."

The gun wavered in the air and then it dipped entirely. Schooling his features, Danny felt a glimmer of success as the boy's indecisiveness surfaced. But Paul's next astonished look caught Danny by surprise and before he could even try to move, another solid blow caught him in the side of the head. Gasping from shock and blinded by the pain, he fell forward onto his chest in a choking heap.

"Don't talk to him. Don't listen to him. Do not do  _anything_  unless I say so." Robbie was back and furious that Danny had so unraveled his little partner. In his fury, he found an old rag and then a roll of duct tape used to set up the various pieces of equipment in the meth lab. Barely conscious, Danny was helpless to resist as he was forcibly gagged where he lay on the floor.

He moaned and tried to move away as Robbie knelt and grabbed the back of his neck to shove his cheek down into the dirty floor. It ground dirt and pebbles into the bruise on his jaw and Danny winced at the new ache. But the harsh whisper in his ear meant business.

"I called Ana. She'll be here soon. And then you can tell her how you murdered her mother. There was no cross-fire .. you killed her in cold blood. The only reason you supposedly care about Ana is because of your own guilt." Danny moaned again and tried to shake Robbie's hand from away from his head. The gag was tight and Robbie's hold on his neck was brutal. Breathing that had been difficult before, quickly became more of an issue.

There was a momentary relief as Robbie got to his feet and took the gun back from Paul. "That room .. help me lock him up. He'll sing when Ana gets here."

Danny struggled again as the two grabbed his arms and dragged him across the floor but he couldn't get his feet to work under his body. The too rough toss into the small room left him fighting to breathe through his nose and for the first time, Danny feared suffocating and moaned in objection as his vision dimmed dangerously. Though it was useless, he forced himself to keep testing his zip-tied wrists as he tried to calm his breathing and still his heart to a more acceptable level.

He could feel blood now running down his neck, soaking into his shirt and the too-tight zip-ties biting sharply into his wrists. He'd torn and damaged the sensitive skin there too and he was finally compelled to give up. The only sounds he could hear were his own harsh breaths he was steadily trying to manage through his nose. Groaning at the pain it caused, from where he had landed on his side, Danny argued and pulled at his body until he was rocking unsteadily on his knees. With his hands tied behind his back, the monumental effort was excruciating not only for his bad knee, but also due to his head injury. Pushed to his limits, he wound up slumped sloppily against the dirty wall and fighting wave after wave of dizzying nausea.

The room he was in was not only completely empty, it was grossly decorated with colorful, nonsensical graffiti and had only one window. Long and narrow, it brought in a decent amount of natural light but was positioned high up in the wall and seemed mostly intact. He stared hard at it and then realized it was completely grated from the outside in a rusted, heavy-looking wire mesh. A coyly positioned canister near one hinge where it might have opened proved it was booby-trapped by some form of explosive. The door he'd been shoved through looked like a heavy metal fire door too and he had heard the clank of a chain being drawn through the latch on the outside. The old building was a veritable fortress; even freed, Danny would be sorely challenged to escape.

And if Ana was truly on her way, Danny had no idea what Robbie really planned for her or why he assumed talking about her mother's death so many years ago might matter today. With the case files officially sealed, he had nothing he would be willing to share about Jana Madison's death. So, he resolved himself to silence. As he closed his eyes and rested his aching head against the wall, Danny made a promise that he would neither deny nor confirm anything.

The muzzy thought made him think of Steve and he spontaneously gave a weak chuckle. That unfortunate constriction of his dry throat caused a violent muffled cough which sent spikes of pain through his head. With a moan, Danny squeezed his eyes shut as he fought hard against his gag reflex. When the spasms finally ended, Danny was left an exhausted, miserable mess as he half-sat propped on his side panting awkwardly through his nose.

Danny knew that his 911 call would already be an issue prompting his team to follow-up on his disappearance. But he had never told them about Ana Madison. He had no idea where he was; and he could never have guessed Robbie Clancey would show up completely unannounced.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

In reality, Robbie hadn't called Ana at all; he was in an excited rush to get a change of clothes from one of the smaller back rooms used to store extra cleaning supplies. She didn't even know he had been on the island for about two months working for a much larger drug cartel. His cousin Joe, had graciously introduced him to key decision-makers and Robbie had made it successfully through their many tests. And now trusted with a set of keys to the large meth lab, he was already fast-tracking up the ladder in the organization.

Things could not be better. After being sure that he would never see Ana again, he'd miraculously gotten this amazing job. Robbie dreamed about Ana night and day. He dreamt about their future but also had nightmares about a certain detective that wrenched her away. Robbie had finally gotten to Honolulu and as things clicked into place, it could only mean that they were supposed to be together on an island paradise.

The moment he arrived in town, Robbie tracked Ana's every move from her cute little apartment to her new job at the hotel. He knew the make and model of her car, her telephone number, her new fancy title at her new fancy job, where she ate and who she hung out with. Her hours were a convenient 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. and she had started to take surfing lessons twice a week after work.

But he had been furious to find that her Detective Danny Williams - her damnable  _Uncle_  Danny - was also working and living on the island. He had been so filled with rage, that Robbie had almost blown it by confronting the two of them the afternoon they had met for ice cream in the park. The angry drugged-out teenager, had become a meth-using dealer and then an obsessed stalker. It was only natural that the next plane of his desirous dreams and fantasies twisted into an obsessive need for vengeance.

Within hours, his methods to get Ana back changed considerably and he reached out to his cousin again. He needed more .. he wanted to know why the Detective had done so much for Ana as a child. It had never been a passing interest; it had been a vested one and now they were together again. He wanted to ruin their relationship and Ana's good opinion of her beloved Uncle Danny. And then after a weekend binge, he'd contrived the ultimate payback: death.

But even death needed to have a purpose, it had to be orchestrated, and cousin Joe provided an idea based on an old rumor of sorts. Robbie had been fascinated and had pushed for more. So Joe had done his magic and had recommended speaking to a very special, old acquaintance of Mitch Runyan's. Joe might be stupid, but he could not be faulted for a lack of connections. With a great deal of satisfaction, this man had confirmed Robbie's long-standing suspicions about the Detective.

 _"I was there. I saw just that one cop go upstairs. He was chasing Jana down and she was screaming for help but he showed no mercy. Then there was a single gun shot."_  The reliable information was exactly what he was looking for and Robbie was extremely gratified.

_"I swear to you that he was the only one upstairs that night. That cop killed her right in front of Ana. He murdered Jana where no one could say otherwise and only claimed it was self-defense. So yeah Robbie, he's damned guilty and he's only followed Ana to make sure she either stays quiet or because he feels that guilt through to his soul. Plus, you know how these cops all cover for each other."_

And what he had learned about that night, now almost 11 years in the past, would make Ana despise her precious Uncle Danny. She would learn to hate him. She would want him to die and Robbie would be pleased - no,  _ **proud**_  - to do this favor for her. He only needed to fine-tune his original plans and strike.

"Stay away from him." His finger was literally drilled into Paul's shoulder on his way out of the factory. They had locked Danny tightly bound and gagged in one of the other many empty rooms within the rambling factory.

"I'll be back soon. All you need to do is hang out and stay completely away from him."

But Paul lurched out of the old chair he'd been sitting in with his hand wrapped around Robbie's finger. The fear that was now ever-present, resurfaced with a vengeance and he practically invaded Robbie's personal space.

"What! Where do you think you're going? You can't just leave me here with him!"

"Relax. He's not going anywhere." He stared in disgust as Paul became unglued at the seams and then schooled his features to a condescending smile. "Paulie. Come on, Paulie. Sit back down and relax. I swear it will be fine. I'll be back soon and then, this will be done before you know it."

It was a different tact that had always worked in the past. Paul needed a calming force and Robbie made himself place a gentle hand on each of the boy's quaking shoulders. "Come on Pauiie .. have I ever let you down?"

"Okay." There was a pause followed by a slight shake of the head as Paul swallowed hard. It was enough for Robbie to give him a small, reassuring smile and a soft shake on both of his shoulders. He watched as Paul heaved in a big breath of air and finally nodded. He was still nervous but he was back under control.

"Okay, Robbie. But just don't take too long."

He then left Paul and Danny in the old factory after changing into the decent pair of jeans and a professional looking button-down shirt. Nice shoes replaced worn, old sneakers. A small Honda two-door coupé sat next to the van and he slid into the low bucket seat. It was neat and clean but nothing special except he had broken the passenger side window and locking mechanisms. The fact that he'd stolen it just the day before didn't concern him either. It was part of the plan since the van could be a hot commodity if anyone had seen him abduct Danny. But if he had seen himself in the mirror, from a distance he could have looked like the particular Detective he so despised.

He stopped off at the florist to make his arrival even more special and he then drove directly to the hotel. It was time for Ana to learn the truth.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Oh my god! They're beautiful!" Ana inhaled the scent from the fresh bouquet set in front of her by one of the hotel receptionist. Naturally, she assumed they were from Danny because it was June and that month was special to both of them. It was the month her mother had died, but also the same month when she had essentially been rescued from an unknown future.

"The young man is still outside waiting for you, Ana." The receptionist, Gayle smiled at her blank expression.

"So, come on .. are you holding back on me? You never said that you had a boyfriend."

"I don't." Ana said bluntly. "He's still here?" The woman nodded happily and pulled her to her feet.

"He sure is. He's quite handsome too, if I do say so myself." Ana felt an uncomfortable prickly feeling as she allowed the receptionist to take her by the hand. It was a bad feeling; a bad premonition of evil so to speak and she suddenly wanted to run and hide.

She saw him at the same time he saw her.

"Hi Ana! Surprise!" Robbie was beaming from ear to ear, as was the receptionist who was still pulling her forward thinking it was a happy reunion.

Ana yanked her hand from Gayle's grasp to stand there in the hotel lobby. She was completely in shock as Robbie enveloped her in a tight hug which she didn't return. In the background, she heard excited whispers and a few sporadic claps but fearful tears pricked at her eyes. And then to cover for her lack of response, Robbie laughed over her shoulder to the people .. some of whom were her new friends .. who had gathered to watch the supposed couple.

"I totally  _got_  her! Do you mind if I return Ana after lunch? We haven't seen each other in months." He was disarming and almost endearing but Ana clearly saw through that façade now.  Her stomach lurched uncomfortably as she tried to untangle his fingers from her shoulder. But then someone, Gayle again probably, shoved her pocketbook into her hands and she took it with numb fingers only to have it disappear almost immediately. As a tear escaped down her cheek, Ana nervously looked around the blur of smiling faces.

"I got it, sweetie." Robbie again. "Right here." He had the small brown leather strap on one finger tauntingly just out of reach. And her anger bubbled up as she blindly tried to take it back but he ignored her to swoop her shoulders into another trapped embrace.

She wanted her cell phone and he knew it. In the background, someone was giggling and telling her to have a good afternoon but Robbie was already physically propelling her through the hotel lobby and then outside. Ana was far from joyous as she tried to resist his persistent tug. But his arm had captured her to his side and she could feel the gun looming dangerously under his jacket. Another planned move and he whispered into the top of her hair miming a kiss.

"I'd keep moving if I were you. I wouldn't want to hurt any of your lovely new friends." Moments later, she was sitting in the stolen Honda and merging on the freeway. And even though they were moving, her fingers were scrabbling at the broken lock which refused to budge and she began to cry. Robbie had at first stowed her pocketbook well out of reach under the driver's seat but now he was pulling it back out. With an eye on the road, he was rummaging one-handed through it until he found the cell phone.

"Whoops!" Ana watched through tearful eyes as he let the phone slide through his fingers. He had rolled down the driver's side window and allowed the phone to sloppily just fall and crack to the pavement. Seconds later he had tossed her bag back into her lap.

"There you go, sweetie." The smile on his face twisted her stomach and Ana clenched the bag to her chest like a shield. "I'll get you a new one. Maybe."

"What are you doing here?" It took her time to form a question. Shock was turning to anger and though her heart was pounding in her chest, Ana finally began to make demands. But she was also scared because he'd never directly threatened her with a gun.

"Stop and let me out. What you are doing here?"

"Oh come on, Ana. You can't say that you haven't missed me." Robbie was smiling and tapping his fingers in time to the music on the radio. He gave her business suit an appraising look. "You look pretty today. But hey, you have a real corporate kind of job. A nice apartment and even a new car. And now, I have a job. We were meant to meet here again .. in paradise. It's perfect."

"You've been following me?" Her mouth fell open in shock when he grinned happily back at her. His expression said that he had done so for a long time and she wilted in the passenger seat. "We aren't a couple, Robbie. We haven't seen in each other in almost a year."

Ana's eyes were filled with angry tears and she was beginning to yell at him from the passenger seat. "I don't want to see you. I don't want to be with you. So, pull over and let me out!"

"No." Robbie's smile faded from his face and he only accelerated through traffic. His voice became a threatening sneer and he caressed the gun hidden under his jacket. "I have a few things for you. One in particular."

His dire tone made Ana tremble and she finally quieted as she tried to memorize the route. Danny would need as much information about where she was when she could call him. She made a firm resolution to find a way and then he would figure out how to deal with Robbie.

"Ana?" His hand reached over to touch her arm and she jerked away to melt into the door refusing to look at him. Making believe she was staring at nothing, she counted mile markers and exits.

"I know what you're doing." He laughed nastily at her and she twirled her head around to look at him as more tears glistened in her eyes.

"You can stop." Robbie's own eyes were vicious and sparkling with their dark promise. "He's one of your special surprises, Ana. Give it up."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	8. Chapter 8

 

**Chapter 8**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"He's got her too, Steve."_ They had two HPD units meet them outside the apartments above the tattoo parlour and a cuffed Joe Clancey was stuffed into the first one. He would direct them to the factory from the back of the patrol car. But Steve had also demanded that Duke Lukela visit Ana's work place. The sergeant called the team just as they were getting ready to follow Clancey's instructions to a remote and ancient factory. But now, they were all stunned to learn that Robbie had just left the hotel offices with Ana Madison.

The nature of her cooperation was obvious based on the loud upsetting turmoil taking place in the background behind the older police officer. Steve could hear the defensive shouting and what sounded like faint crying and Duke explained what he'd been told.

_"You're hearing Ana's co-worker, Gayle. She's devastated. They all thought this guy was surprising her and Gayle practically pushed her out the door, herself. They had no idea that Ana was in trouble. They thought she didn't want to go because of work .. she's well-liked here and loves her job."_

"Damn it." Steve breathed out in a fury into the connection as he started walking to his truck. His anger caused Lukela to apologize again and Steve mumbled his understanding. "He's fast and has obviously planned this out fairly well. Do we have anything else?"

Robbie Clancey was just one step ahead of them but Joe Clancey could be their ace in the hole. With any luck, Robbie was using the old factory as his base of operation as his junkie cousin was so convinced.

_"Hotel cameras show Robbie Clancey pushing Ana Madison into a small 2-door Honda coupe. Dark blue. We got a partial on the plate and it matches the description of a 2009 vehicle reported stolen just yesterday. We've already put an alert out across the city for the car and stressed that our kidnapper is armed and dangerous."_

There were no doubts that Duke would have every base covered and Steve continued moving towards his truck. "Okay. Good. We're going to stick to what we've got here with Joe Clancey. We're leaving and we need more backup."

He didn't add it, but the old woman's words about Danny being dead were pulling at him and putting terrible thoughts in his head. Things were happening much too quickly and Robbie was obviously the brains in the Clancey clan. Steve's face was stony as those thoughts began to drive him mad with worry. Ana Madison had also been taken under protest and right under her co-worker's noses. Lukela had missed him by a matter of minutes. So at that moment, Steve was determined to make Joe Clancey work for him.

Kono had originally traced Ana's cell phone signal to her general place of work, but using the data again she tried another trace but shortly threw her hands up in the air. She was shaking her head no and Steve closed his eyes wearily for a just a moment.

"It's turned off or he broke it. I can't trace it .. I can't even find the signal .. there's nothing at all. Nothing."

He glared through the HPD car window at Clancey and pointed menacingly; no words were necessary. The ex-con flinched and drew back into the seat of the cruiser, clearly understanding the threat.

"I suggest full cooperation." Joe scrunched down even more in the back seat as the HPD officer sitting in the front seat turned to face him. "You are taking us to him. Now. And you better pray that he's not only there .. but that he's alive and well."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Cool hands were on his cheek and Danny realized with relief that he could breathe better and that his hands were finally untied. But that's where comfort ended. He was laying on his back with something soft under his head, but he was most definitely not comfortable. His hands were swollen and throbbing in time to his head which in turn pounded harder with every shallow breath he was still taking.

"Uncle Danny?" Ana's voice reached him through a fog and it forced his eyes open. "Uncle Danny. I'm so sorry."

"Oh no. No, no. Ana." His stomach clenched when his eyes focused and he saw her frightened, disheveled appearance. His head was propped up on her small pocketbook. Tears were running down her face and she was using part of her torn jacket sleeve and a bottle of water to clean the blood from his head.

She was already shaking her head and trying to smile as she wiped his face. "Did he hurt you?"

"No." Her voice was weedy with tears as she glanced nervously over her shoulder and dropped to a whisper. "I didn't know. I didn't."

His mouth was painfully dry and tasted like a musty oil from the old rag. Before he tried to say anything else, Ana was already helping him drink from the bottle of water she had kept in her purse. He blearily noted in disgust that now they were both in the same dingy room and that not much time had gone by based on the angle of the sunlight coming through the dirty windows.

"Ana, are you okay? How did you get here? Why did you come?" She rolled her eyes as she wiped her tears away. There were small dots of blood on her fingers and a large piece of broken glass lay next to her knees. She had used the sharp edges to cut away the zip-ties and then had done her best to make him comfortable. But Ana could have a temper and Danny smirked as she warred with herself.

"Me? I'm great. Just wonderful. You're bleeding and hurt .. and you ask me if I'm okay?" Her tears increased and then she took a deep breath in an attempt to keep them at bay.

"He showed up at work. He had a gun and I had to come." It was a simple ruse and Danny groaned before gently taking her hand. Robbie had lied about calling her. She was never going to come on her own. Of course. There was a distinct underlying tone of anger in every word and Danny huffed in appreciation because other than being frightened, technically she was fine. In reality, Robbie was obsessed and he wasn't going to hurt the girl unless he severely escalated. Robbie wanted him and he wanted him to confess one very critical point to Ana.

"Why are you here? What did he do to you?" He blinked mindlessly at the unexpected question. Her eyes were huge and glassy and she trusted him, but she had no idea how Danny could have been tricked.

"He .. ah .. cloned your phone." Danny shrugged aimlessly. "I thought you were in trouble."

Ana's face fell and then clouded over. "I hate him." She whispered almost to herself. "I don't understand why he's here."

"We'll get out." Changing the subject, Danny rolled awkwardly onto one elbow and then fell back as a blinding pain echoed through his head. Ana bent over to hold his shoulders down as he gasped through what he could only describe as the mother of all migraines.

"I don't think you should move. You're hurt .. your head looks bad. I don't know what to do." Tears and shattered sobbing laced her voice again as Danny gripped her fingers and tried to reassure her. But he literally couldn't get up without her help.

"It's okay. Just help me up. We have to find a way out of here." He lifted his arms when he was ready and Ana heaved upwards but Danny sagged dangerously back down to one knee. He coughed against the rising nausea and persistent pain in his head which made him lean even more heavily on Ana than he intended. But she wrapped her arms around his waist and just waited until he was ready before lifting up a second time.

"Okay." Swallowing hard, he ground out the one word. And then tried to clear his vision, unsure if he was seeing the glimmer of light into the small hallway.

"Why does it smell so bad in here?" Ana coughed and then cleared her throat. She had an inkling that the jars and propane tanks were drug related and Danny confirmed it.

"Seems as if Robbie .. has expanded his ..professional acumen." He did his best to ignore his aching body as he used Ana's shoulder like a crutch to being a slow shuffle-walk.

"We're in a big meth lab, Ana. And we need to find a way out." Danny limped forward as he held a hand to his aching head. The propane tanks with fittings that had turned blue from chemical reaction, the too strong urine-like smell and the presence of just too many household products. All assembled in one place defined the large methamphetamine lab operation.

Ana had her hand on his chest to keep him upright and she could feel his struggle to breath against the pain. Her tears came again as she took more of his weight on her shoulders. But he was aiming for the doorway. "Ana. Is that door actually open?"

"Yeah, he left it open. That kid, Paul went crazy when we got here." Ana shrugged through her sniffles. Her tone was bouncing between anger and fear caused by the amount of pain that Danny was experiencing. She helped him walk to the opening and he eased the door more open to peek down the hallway. He could hear two voices yelling at each other from another nearby room.

"Paul is upset and trying to leave." Ana's whispered explanation provided all the impetus he needed to begin their faster lurch out of the small prison. "So while Robbie deals with him, he told me that he wanted us to get re-acquainted .. he said that you were my surprise." Ana took a small shuddering breath. "But I don't know what that's supposed to mean."

When she glanced down the hallway, Danny had time to hide his unhappy scowl. It was a weak attempt as Ana tried to smile around her tears "I guess he thinks we're not going anywhere. I found a piece of glass to cut the ties off your wrists. And then you woke up. But Paul ..  _Paul_  is freaking out and he's dealing with him. For some reason, Paul flipped out when he saw me."

"Robbie never told him what was really going on here. But that's good for us. Go." Danny continued to lean heavily on Ana as they listened to the distant voices and began their escape back to through the main first floor rooms. The intense shouting provided the badly needed distraction and it appeared as if Paul had finally broken down with or without prompting from a talkative Detective.

They could almost hear every other word. At minimum, it was clear that he didn't appreciate being used by Robbie to kidnap a cop. His breaking point was breached when Ana was thrust through the doors sobbing. The voices were rising and Ana gasped when something banged heavily into a wall.

"At least one of them .. has a .. temper." Every small step jarred his head but Danny couldn't help the wry snicker as they tried to find their way to the closest exit. They only hesitated briefly to make a quick decision based on which way to turn. In the background, the heated argument drove them forward and they sighed in relief as they made it all the through the cavernous main floor. Ana bolted forward with every intention of swinging the heavy latch open on the door that they'd both been forced through.

"Wait!" Danny's sharp whisper stopped Ana cold with her palm on the pitted steel surface.

"It's a trap. Don't touch it." If there was one thing in his repertoire that he had fine-tuned from his time with Steve: it was how to identify the tell-tale signs of wires and explosives. The things that didn't belong. And there were plenty of oddities that didn't belong on this particular door. Danny's eyes ran quickly around the frame and he saw each dangerous wire and the oddly shaped canister held up high just above the top hinge.

"Nice alarm system." Danny limped backwards to lean against a table weakly and blinked through the hazy light to see that each nearby, wire-encased window was protected in the same way.

"He's thorough. Or someone else is .. I guarantee that he's working for someone else. It's way too sophisticated for Robbie. Whoever is in .. stays in .. and whoever is outside .. definitely stays out."

He wheezed and coughed around his frustration and it brought Ana back to his side as his knees weakened unexpectedly. "Uncle Danny?"

The meth lab was a bomb unto itself and any spark could set off the entire old building. It would just take one easy excuse for any number of things to ignite and for a multitude of others, to go off.

The voices in the background suddenly ceased and Ana paled. "What do we do? They're coming."

Gritting his teeth, Danny pulled himself up and gave in to leaning on Ana's shoulder once more. Bleary-eyed, he studied the old, rusty cat walks until he found the staircase and then he pointed. Besides the obvious dangers, the very environment of the meth lab and all of it contained could be toxic and they at least needed fresh air. Ana had started to cough sporadically, and Danny could feel the never-ending rough sting in his own throat.

"Up. We go up. To the roof."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny and Ana had made it all the way to the top only to find out that the upper floors were also setup for extreme meth production. Long metal tables, large glass beakers, an incomprehensible amount of household products, and jars with row upon row of propane gas tanks. And this was where Robbie had simply shot him after Danny had shoved Ana protectively behind his own body.

Covered in sweat and breathing heavily from the exertion, it was all Danny could do as Robbie caught up to them much too quickly. And 'simply' was the right word. It was "àpropos". Danny knew Steve would like that word. It was a good one and he'd chuckle warmly about it and then keep driving or he'd take a swig from his beer with an approving grin. Those were other examples of something perfectly 'àpropos' because they were appropriate examples. He was also knew that he was in shock from being shot; however, that was ironic because the bullet came from his very own police-issued revolver. Danny almost giggled though because in a way, that was 'apropos' to the circumstance.

His mind was muddled and Danny was stuck in the thoughts like a vinyl record skipping on a record player. Just stuck; going round and round and round for no reason. Unable to break the weary mental chain as he lay there and attempted to rationalize when and how he'd been shot with his own revolver.

But using the vinyl record as an example wasn't  _apropos_  because Danny was positive that the other three people arguing and crying in the room probably had never actually seen one in their much too young lives.

"Run, Ana. Just go." His voice was faint and hollow by now. But she heard him and cried harder before practically screaming at Robbie that he was wrong. He had to be wrong because her Uncle Danny had not killed her mother.

"He didn't do it. He saved me .. he took care of me!" Ana was yelling and sobbing as she rocked on her knees by Danny's side and tried to stop the blood leaking out of his side with yet another torn piece of her jacket. Her anger made her surge back to her feet as she confronted Robbie to physically push him backwards.

"I hate you, Robbie! And you're a damned liar!"

Pulling her to her feet, Robbie grinned though while he enveloped her trembling blood-stained hands in his own. "Then why isn't he saying so, Ana? Why is your dear Uncle Danny so very very quiet?"

And then Danny must have missed something as he faded away from the too distant conversation. Some of the yelling had stopped by the time he realized that Ana was on her knees next to him again and asking him a tearful question.

"Did you? Did you kill her? Tell him it's a lie." Her voice was a broken whisper and Danny struggled to keep his eyes on her face. She had grown so pretty with her long black hair. And she was wearing a proper suit for her job; ruined now because of the treacherous morning. He faded briefly on that last thought until he heard Ana calling his name in fear.

"Uncle Danny? No! Wake up!"

He forced his eyes back open and smiled gently as he tried to shrug around his bound wrists. After being shot, Robbie and Paul had dragged him to a heavy table and retied his already battered hands to its metal legs. He and Ana hadn't had a chance once the only door to the roof was similarly booby-trapped. And this one Danny definitely recognized and Steve would have been proud of him. Two military grade hand-grenades were subtly positioned at their only final point of egress.

"Ana." He sighed her name out on a plaintive exhale. It begged her forgiveness but Danny refused to say another word and that made Robbie laugh cynically.

"Now, who's lying, Ana? Me .. or him? My bets on him. Your Uncle Danny is a murdering, lousy cop liar."

So besides the one disappointing door, there would be no roof or fresh air and definitely no escape. Danny was forced to listen to Robbie's gloating comments. Each one slowly twisted Ana into knots and filled her with confusing doubts and uncertainty. But Danny refused to rise to the bait; it was better this way. And it didn't matter because regardless of what Robbie said, he was going to kill Danny anyway. He squinted up at the boy as he tried to toy with them both and attempted to get him riled enough to deny it.

"Come on,  _Uncle_  Danny. Just say it and I'll let you go." Agitated and impatient, Robbie was tapping the gun against his thigh. Ana was staring at him and crying while Paul paced in the background nervously.

"Say it! You only took care of Ana because you know you're guilty. You don't love her .. you never did!" But as he expected, his continued silence was also good enough for Robbie. Thinking that he made his point to Ana and with Danny out of commission, Robbie decided to end his plan in grand style.

"Turn those on. Every single one of them." He pushed Paul to the rows of propane tanks and pointed. "Go on .. I just need you to open the valves on those canisters. I'll do the rest."

The hissing of each tank filled the room as gas began to settle along the ground. And then it was too easy for Robbie to set a ten minute timer. One spark would be all it would take to create an inferno and he positioned the old car battery perfectly next to the small copper wire.

"Time to go." Robbie leaned down to roughly pull Ana up and away before bending down once more to Danny. She stumbled blindly to her feet not entirely realizing yet what Robbie intended to do. But Danny was coughing more deeply as the gas moved invisibly across the old floor of the building and directly into his lungs. The hissing sound was nearly overwhelming and he began to strain against his bonds again.

"Robbie .. don't do .. this." Danny tried and then shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his vision.

"Ana .. run .. get away from him." His eyes were closing as his voice failed and dwindled away. The propane gas was heavier than air; it lurked along the ground in an invisible swirl and Danny began to heave in smaller and smaller amounts of air. He felt as if he were drowning, but without the luxury of water as he gasped and choked for precious oxygen.

"It's been nice. But don't worry, I'll take real good care of her now that she knows the truth." The hand that fisted Danny's hair lifted his head off the floor. Robbie was sharing some final thoughts with a nasty sneer. Anxiously wanting to move, Paul had Ana by the arm and was dragging her to the doorway.

"See? And you didn't even have to really say it out loud. What do they say? Silence means consent?" He laughed and bent down closer.

"Sorry about breaking my promise. But you're a smart guy, right? So you already knew that wasn't going to be part of the bargain. Actually, maybe that's why you kept your damned mouth finally shut!"

Danny struggled weakly but it was of no use and he sagged down completely into the filthy floor as Robbie got to his feet. His coughs began to increase in frequency as he failed at finding clean air. He thought he heard Ana just one more time before the door slammed to the room. Screaming that they let him go, but Danny couldn't even think anymore to form a complete thought or sentence as all sounds faded but for the loud hiss of the propane tanks.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve and the team were arriving at the locked gates to the old factory just as Robbie was setting the timer to the car battery on the top floor. He knew just enough about the mechanical process to create the one dangerous spark needed for a flash fire. Slamming the door shut, Robbie completed his work by battering the door handle with an old pipe until it twisted and broke off so that no one could get in or out where Danny lay trapped.

But another quarrel started between him and Paul as they fled the upper levels and Paul simply left them behind when Robbie aimed the gun at him. In his haste to flee, he was pushing Ana forcibly forward and she fell to her knees. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"

Her startled and pained cry sent Robbie into a fury. The argument started immediately when Paul found himself physically rattled into a wall and his unstable friend pushed the muzzle of the weapon literally into his ear. "Watch what you're doing, Paulie. Don't ever hurt her .. don't you ever, ever touch her .. you got me?"

That was all it took to finish the boy's last threads of remaining bravery or desire to stay with Robbie Clancey. With a quick look at the fallen girl, he decided to flee the building and do what the injured Detective had suggested so many hours ago. "You are crazy. Deal with all of this yourself!" Taking off at a run, Paul was down the stairs before he could see Robbie trying to help Ana to her feet.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Down below, the teams that were arriving were ready for more than they had originally anticipated. Three additional HPD cruisers were with Five-0 and armed to the hilt. The additional manpower was related to new babblings from Joe Clancey. Because the closer the police got to the building, the more Joe had found his tongue. There were too many cops assembling and he'd be responsible for killing each and every one if they tried to enter the building. He was already directly associated to the kidnapping of one and his ignorance meant absolutely nothing; if Robbie killed the one cop, it was over for the both of them. And if he kept his mouth closed now, it would become a slaughter.

"Damn." The whine had started as quiet murmur which eventually drew the attention of the two HPD officers in the front seat of the cruiser. "Oh, damn. Shit. Damn. Damn. Damn."

He fidgeted, gave out with a loud frightened groan and then panicked in the back seat of the patrol car as they got closer to the old factory. The HPD officer driving had been watching his antics in the rear view mirror and he motioned to his partner. "What's wrong with this guy? Withdrawal? Maybe you should check him out."

Sweat had beaded on Clancey's upper lip and he was squirming in his cuffs. His eyes flitted about from the car to the passing scenery outside and he moaned again in frustration. His whisper grew to a frenetic worried crescendo. "Damn, damn, damn. Shit! Stop the car!"

"Yeah, that's totally not going to happen." The second officer had turned to fully face the disturbed junkie and he eyed him closely. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"You can't go in! I've only been there once .. maybe twice. It's rigged - every window and door. It's all rigged!" Clancey had jiggled nervously in the backseat before leaning his sweaty forehead on the window. "It's a damned fortress. Every window and door is set up as a trap. Wires, explosives and even military issued grenades. You can't get in and you can't get out without the right set of keys and only Robbie has those."

With this latest revelation now shared with Steve and the rest of the team, added HPD support plus the bomb squad had been called into action and were en route. The word 'keys' was a loose term and only relevant to certain windows and doors. The main door absolutely had one particular key which Robbie kept around his neck; however, its special jury-rigged incendiary could be manually disabled from the inside. Which was done religiously on 'work' days; those days when too many people needed to go in and out to load (or unload) meth supplies.

But based on Robbie Clancey's brazen exploits, they had very little time to act and Steve wasn't overly interested in waiting the extra minutes for the bomb squad. Governor Denning had also come through and he had pulled strings to reveal the contents of the sealed files and what they revealed about Jana Madison was short of astonishing. The team understood now why Danny had them officially closed but that knowledge didn't entirely fit why Robbie might have abducted him or Ana.

The chain link gates to the old factory were closed and padlocked, but they hadn't stood a chance against Steve's Silverado and he had easily broken them down with the small convoy in his wake. Sirens and lights were off but anyone peering out a window would see the small army convening in the old parking lot. The issue for the people inside the building was that no one had bothered to look. Had they, the large assembly would have been staggering.

"There's the Honda ... and the black van." Chin pointed to the black van that was parked off to the side as they pulled in. The team was immediately more alert and on edge as they arrived at the old factory and took notice of each vehicle. "Score another one for our bag lady."

Steve skidded to a stop and instantly was out of the truck to give orders as he assessed the property with an educated eye. "Okay, I need a way in, people. Break into teams of three and scour each side of this place and every window. Get me in there."

His team took the rear as three other HPD teams gathered and then took the remaining sides but it took only seconds to realize it was the fortress Joe Clancey had described. Wide-eyed and still panicking, the two officers stayed with him while the first few teams surveyed the property. They listened amongst themselves as they shared frustrated whispered updates which came almost immediately from every corner.

_"There's no way .. everything is wrapped or strung."_

_"We can't risk fire; any spark is going to make this more of a hellhole."_

_"Nothing. Windows are rigged here."_

Identical warnings came from each team and Steve was about to do something drastic when there was a loud clanging and rustling on the opposite side of the door nearest where the Five-0 team was standing. Another delay of silence and something pinged before Steve watched the door's latch slowly turn to open.

"Everyone hold. We have movement." He hissed to his team and then over the comm links. "Someone's coming out on this side. Be ready."

One second after the latch turned, the door opened and Chin grabbed Paul just one step from the door frame and slammed him hard up against the unyielding brick wall. With his forearm rocked into the boy's neck, Chin's gun was held threateningly to his head. And having that done to him twice in less than five minutes time completely sapped his resolve as he gaped at the assembled officers.

"I suggest you start talking now. How many are inside?" Steve and Kono had already replaced Paul in the doorway to keep the door from closing. Steve took a moment to examine the canister and odd wires connecting it to the inside hinges. But further down near the floor, Paul had disconnected the red and white wires from a plastique tube. The front door was open to them.

"How many?" Chin tried again. But when Paul didn't immediately speak, Chin lifted him off his feet to rock him once again into the bricks with Steve looming dangerously now beside him.

Dangerously dark, Steve reiterated the question. "Answer the man. How many are inside?"

Paul's eyes were huge in his face and he had to cough and gag his answer out around Chin's arm that was viciously anchored to his throat. "Two. Two, plus the cop. But it's not my fault; I didn't want to do it! He made me!"

"Plus the cop." Steve growled out a repeat of those words in a barely checked rage. He looked up sharply as the first HPD team came running from the far side of the building.

"Get him out of here and hold him."

"But it's going to blow!" Paul was anxious and frightened as he began to fight Chin's hold with the intent to duck past the new officers. "He's got the cop upstairs and he rigged the room to blow. It'll take the whole place down. There's no time! Less than ten minutes!"

"You better hope there's time." Chin threatened in a low voice as Paul was handed off to the HPD team and just as a second group of three officers arrived to follow the Five-0 team into the dark recesses of the first floor.

"Let's assume we're down to five minutes." Steve advised the two groups. "Spread out and do a complete search. Do not touch anything that looks suspicious." Steve pointed to the upper floors and the HPD men took off at a fast jog to clear each of the dangerous rooms. They had all been prepped and were using rubber bullets and extremely cautionary methods to avoid setting off a spark that could cause a fire or explosion. But none of it would matter if Paul was telling the truth about Robbie's rigged timer.

Barely making their way into the main foyer, Kono saw the two figures first.

"Halt!" Kono hollered out the command and leveled her gun directly at Ana and Robbie as they ran towards the front door. Chin and Steve took cover behind two different pillars and immediately began edging forward.

"Stop right there and drop your weapon!"

"Let me go. We have to go back!" Ana was screaming over them and Robbie's automatic stunned response was to haul her in front of his body as a human shield. She had no time to do anything as his gun went to her temple.

"Back off, or she's dead!" His mouth fell open at the alarming number of police in the main area of the warehouse. For the first time, Robbie felt a flicker of fear but he set his jaw to funnel it back into a rage. However with no way out, he was forced to back up to take cover as best as possible near another central pillar in the room.

"Nice boyfriend." Kono muttered to herself as she tried to find a clear shot, but Ana was directly in her line of fire.

"I don't have a target." She whispered into her comm link. Time was ticking and Robbie was dangerous in his desperation.

Staying low, Steve carefully skirted the right side and rounded the backside of tables, stacked boxes and pillars to be almost behind the struggling couple while Chin moved similarly to the left. Robbie was focused on Kono and oblivious to what both Chin and Steve were doing.

"I swear, I will kill her!"

"That's not going to happen. Where's my Detective." Steve's voice unexpectedly coming from behind him, made Robbie whirl around to realize he was surrounded. And while he couldn't exactly see who had spoken the words, the tone was threatening and implied no negotiation.

In his headset, Steve heard Kono's sarcastic ' _that's better_ ' and tried not to smirk. But Ana had started to scream again and fought harder as Robbie repositioned the gun in his hand. Steve recognized it as Danny's own weapon and he clenched his teeth angrily. But Ana's struggles spun them around and ruined what would have been a disabling shot even with a rubber bullet.

"He's dead!" Those two words practically sealed Robbie's fate as Steve edged closer; he clearly wasn't in the mood. However, Ana's sobs proved how wrong the statement was as time continued to evaporate by every passing second.

"No, he's not! You have to help him! He's upstairs .. he's hurt!" Robbie growled dangerously at her and pulled her even more tightly to his body while he used his one free hand to cover her mouth. "You need to be quiet, Ana. Let me handle this."

Changing gears completely, Steve tried a different tact as he sidled closer. Ana was struggling and trying to get away, but Robbie was intent on maintaining control of her. "Come on, Robbie. Tell us where Detective Williams is and we can work everything out afterwards."

"No!" Robbie was having none of it as he laughed harshly at the offer and subsequently penned his own rough ending to the standoff. "No way. No way does he get to be the big hero again! Not this time."

"Team two. Give me a report." Steve whispered quickly into his comm. The second HPD team had taken the stairs straight up and were searching room by room but coming up empty. Steve's query to their status was an unfortunate negative on finding his partner, so he turned his attention back to Robbie. He looked older than his almost twenty years with significant height and a very decent build. Steve physically sized him up and then quietly holstered his weapon.

And then he had to force himself to remain on an even keel as he checked the time. "Robbie, can you tell me what this is about?"

"Sure. Absolutely." Another menacing laugh and Steve glared as Robbie had the gall to casually check his own watch. "Sure, I can tell you. But in six minutes. I can tell you anything you want to know in six minutes."

Under his hand, Ana moaned in terror and then resumed her fight to break free but failed as he pushed the gun harder into the side of her head. Steve took a chance then based solely on the files that Denning had re-opened .. the same ones Danny had sealed for eternity by court order. He took a chance and prayed he was right.

"Robbie, is this about Ana's mother?" He heard the muffled curse immediately and a grim smile crossed his lips. He was right, though he wasn't quite sure yet where it would be leading. The files had still been sealed and as Danny had surmised, Steve also knew that Robbie Clancey had no rhyme or reason to know what really had been hidden inside for so many years. And now that they knew the absolute truth, the boy would be way off base with whatever he thought he was accurately sharing with the terrified girl.

"What did you tell Ana about her mother?" It was a pointed question and Steve already knew half the answer but he needed Robbie to say it again. Whatever he had told the girl was a lie. He only wondered if Danny had revealed any part of the real truth.

"I told her the truth!" Robbie's voice was louder and more desperate as he checked his watch. "I told her exactly what happened. That her precious Uncle Danny killed her mother .. and don't you dare try to cover for him! Everyone was downstairs that night and he was the only one upstairs .. in the bedroom chasing down Ana's mother. He killed her mother in cold blood!"

And then Steve prompted for more just to be sure. Stupid jealousy. Pure obsession and a stalker's rage seemed to be the key drivers but he had to be certain. With an intentional taunting tone, Steve forced a smile into his voice. He made Robbie sound dumb and childish as he mocked him in front of Ana.

"Is that it? Really? Is that the best you could do .. there wasn't anything else?" As he planned, Robbie became defensive and bristled right away at the challenge and Steve smirked again.

"What else could there be? He's only helping Ana because of his own guilt." Robbie laughed and took a minute to rub the sweat from his face with his sleeve. He was nervous now and becoming jittery. His timer was ticking second by agonizing second and he didn't want to be around for the resulting explosion. "That's all Ana needs to know. She needs to know that her wonderful Uncle Danny is a lying murderer. And now ...she does."

Steve could hear the girl's faint sobs under the boy's hand as he moved into a dark shadow to creep closer. And he became deathly quiet and when he spoke it was with a morbid honesty.

"So Danny didn't tell you, then?" The team had a special card to play and it wasn't going to be pretty. But Steve was determined now to clear the air as Robbie's temper re-escalated.

"He's a lousy coward!" Unnerved by what was happening, Robbie rapped his own head into the column he partially was hiding behind. He was anxious to leave, but unable to move a step in either direction based on the dark shapes surrounding him.

"Far from it. That makes two things you're wrong about." The sarcastic taunt was back in Steve's voice as he came out of the shadows only a few feet from the startled boy. At the same time, he took in Ana's torn business suit and blood stained hands. She was undeniably frightened but her eyes were sparkling with clarity as she watched his every move.

"Okay, if you want the truth so badly; I'll tell you both the truth."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

It was almost stupid; except Steve knew that Danny was injured and possibly quite badly by the looks of Ana's blood-stained hands, not to mention the traumatized expression on her face. It looked like a jealous boy wanted his girl back, but in reality this boy was soon to be a man and he embodied nearly every characteristic of a malicious stalker. Angry about the adult that had broken them up and kept them apart, Robbie thought that if Danny admitted he'd killed Ana's mother then he would have the pretty girl back in his arms. It would also destroy Ana's loving opinion of her beloved Uncle Danny which was equally important to Robbie. Except what he thought was the truth, could not be further away.

So Steve waited a split second and then sent a quick mental word of apology to his partner and best friend. Steve didn't know Ana and the truth could irrevocably harm her but he had no choice. He now was in the open and confronting Robbie head on and forcing them step by step, backwards towards Chin.

"I hope you're ready. We had the case files re-opened today and just found out ourselves. Up until now, only Danny and maybe one or two other officers knew what happened that night." He delivered the message loudly, but intentionally wasn't kind. The strength of its impact needed a certain clarity. He looked into Ana's eyes and tried to convey as much feeling as possible into his next words.

"There is no way that Robbie ever could have known the real truth. With official court-sealed records, it would have been impossible. And they were sealed all those years ago in order to protect an innocent child."

Steve stressed the two last words and Ana's eyes widened in surprise. She stopped struggling and was hanging on every word he uttered. And he took a deep breath before specifically searching out Robbie's face.

"The truth is that Ana killed her mother."

There was another moment of absolute silence and then the desperate whispers started. Robbie was whispering over and over to Ana that it wasn't true. And without taking her eyes from Steve's face, Ana was moaning in a fearful denial.

"Lies. All lies. You have to trust me, Ana. They want to keep us apart with these lies."

Struggling and now kicking fiercely, Ana finally got free from Robbie's stifling hand but he still held her tightly against his chest. But then her words were for Steve and she was shouting in a frightened anger that was aimed entirely at him. And he calmly accepted it all as she moved from Robbie and pointed her finger at his chest.

"I did not kill my mother. I didn't. Uncle Danny would have told me." Her resolve was very much like Danny's and Steve stifled a wry grin. And then he nodded in understanding because Danny hadn't tried to correct the allegations. He had continued to maintain his silence so Steve pushed because he needed them to understand. He needed Robbie alone and separated from Ana to rescue Danny. Reports from the team searching the too many rooms in the upper floors were all negative and valuable time was being wasted.

"Danny didn't tell you, Ana. He didn't tell you for all of these years because you were just a kid. He had the case files closed by court order; there's no way that Robbie ever knew. No one knew like I said. But do you remember the Cinderella poster?"

And then Ana practically stopped breathing as she went back in time. Her mother had made her crawl under the bed that night as the police pulled up to surround the house. Hiding there, she could hear the yelling before the gunfire started downstairs. But she could only see her mother's high heels and the corner of the Cinderella poster that was hung near the doorway. A mental light bulb went off on a faded and nearly forgotten memory. She audibly gasped as she completely jerked free from Robbie. Both hands went to her face and she kept backing up into the middle of the warehouse floor.

For years, all Ana could remember was her Uncle Danny reaching for her and then nothing. But now, that simple prompt made her breath catch in her throat and she began to tremble.

"I remember." She sobbed softly. Her mother had tripped and fallen in her haste to get away from whoever was coming up the stairs. Her mother's gun had fallen and slid across the old wood floor to land under the bed.

 _"Gimme the gun, sweetie. Ana, baby, give me the gun."_ And then Ana remembered everything. She had squirreled forward on her stomach and gotten the gun with every intention of handing it to her mother. But it had gone off and a flash of bright red blood had instantly splattered across Cinderella's beautiful cartoon dress.

There was so much blood. Her mother had fallen partially under the bed with her dead eyes facing Ana and the blood had pooled out across the floor to chase her further back under the bed. She couldn't even scream as the red lake came for her.

But then he had come. And he had taken the gun out of her small hands and pulled her into his chest. However instead of just Danny now, she also remembered the blood. And then there had been the sound of her mother falling and then the final glimpse of the blood-stained Cinderella poster from where she was snug up against Danny's chest.

Ana was weak-kneed at the frightful memory as she shook her head and clenched fistfuls of her long black hair in her hands. "My fault. It was all my fault."

"No, it wasn't." Steve continued speaking as Ana's adult mind churned through the truth. He was still watching Robbie, though he was softer and maybe less aggressive based on Ana's reaction.

"Ana, you didn't mean to shoot anybody that night. The gun had a hair-trigger. It was an accident. And Danny didn't tell you because he knew what it would do to you. You were just a kid and you pushed it from your mind. It's understandable and it's okay. But Danny has been protecting you for years .. and he still is."

Ana started to sob harder because it was true and she remembered. Steve edged closer as he added the final key point. He was in striking distance and one eye was on Robbie Clancey.

"The poster. The blood on the poster meant the shot came from inside the room. The angle proved it came from the floor; but Ana, it was an accident."

Her sobbing intensified as another memory snicked into place. "Uncle Danny took the gun from my hand. I was still under the bed and he took it from me. And then he picked me up .. and we went outside."

"Come on! Faster!" Chin hissed the warning in Steve's ear and he nodded quickly because it was taking much too long but she was almost in the clear. He was almost there and in easy reach of Robbie. And Chin was readying himself to protect Ana.

"Ana, I know Danny the way you do. He had a good reason to not tell you then and he still didn't want to tell you today."

She was in the middle of the room now and backing towards Chin. "It was me .. it was never him! I remember. It was all my fault because I had the gun and I killed my mother!"

Steve didn't hesitate after that final outburst. Ana was in the clear and Robbie had begun to follow her with his hand out-stretched almost in apology. At first, he wasn't paying attention to where he was and he'd almost forgotten about the gun in his other hand. But Robbie suddenly caught himself and with a fierce glance towards Steve, he growled a warning to Ana. There was a new gleam in his eyes as Chin grabbed the girl and used his own body to shield her should something go wrong.

As Robbie's gun hand swung up to take aim at Ana, Steve lashed out once to fell Robbie like a tree. There was a loud crack as his femur broke under Steve's well aimed kick. There was only one surprised gurgle and he barely felt the pain as Steve's elbow found the base of his neck and he was instantly incapacitated. Without breaking stride, Steve had him cuffed in seconds under Kono's direct supporting cover.

Ana froze in Chin's hands as she watched Robbie collapse and she stared at Steve in total disbelief. She never heard him demand that Kono get additional assistance to remove the unconscious and now injured boy.

"Are you Steve?" Her voice was a strangled whisper but when he nodded, Ana pulled out of Chin's grasp and yanked on his arm.

"He's this way. Please .. hurry." She pulled and grabbed at his hand to lead him. She refused to let go or go back until she'd virtually dragged him and the rest of the team to the locked door.

All the way on the top floor now, Steve's fingers ran around the door frame and then he cursed at the broken door handle. "What's in here? What did Robbie do?"

"Gas and a timer .. Uncle Danny's hurt .. Robbie shot him and he's hurt!" Steve clenched his jaw as he began to viciously pummel the heavy metal door with his shoulder. Chin joined in and they began to alternate to well-aimed kicks by the damaged door knob.

"Ana, get out of here. We'll get him. Go and get out." She hesitated again until she saw his face. His look of raw determination made her spin around and Ana ran from the building to wait outside as she heard Chin, Steve and two other HPD officers using their bodies in a vain attempt to ram the door open.

"Battering ram!' The third officer had gone back out to get a manual, hand-held ramming bar with a blunt non-conductive flat end. "Use this!"

With Steve on one side and an HPD officer on the opposite, a count of two had them swinging the bar like the small battering ram it was, and they nearly fell when the door cracked and suddenly burst in on its hinges. Danny was still on his side and tied to the strong metal table leg with his hands behind his back. The team each took a goal and split up. The HPD officers began to turn off each and every propane tank, while Chin fell to his knees next to Danny. And Steve went for the timer and ignition device. He studied it quickly and didn't take the time to feel relieved when he found it to be incredibly rudimentary.

Seconds later, he was down next to Chin who had already freed Danny's bloody wrists and was checking both the head and bullet wounds. His eyes were dark with worry as he cradled Danny's head and urged him to keep breathing. The body-wide tremble and clammy skin communicated all they needed to know about the level of shock he was in.

"Danny, hold on. We're getting you out of here. Hold on, buddy."

He roused then very briefly in the gas filled room and frowned at the faces swimming sickeningly above him. There was a long moment where Danny couldn't focus at all and the shapes dipped and wavered away from him. But he finally heard Chin and then maybe Steve though their voices were muted and far away as if in a surreal dream. Slurred and barely audible, Danny was just mouthing a few words. "Ana? Steve?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got her and you. Just hold on." With that, he and Chin were pulling him up and slinging an arm over each of their shoulders. They tried to be careful but Danny was gagging and coughing not only because of the gas, but also because of the unfortunate change in position. The pain in his head was debilitating in its intensity and he was helpless in their arms.

Steve snagged a hand around Danny's waist to take more of his weight. He was limp and unable to walk as they dragged him forward. "We got you Danno, just hang on."

With a free hand, Chin was shouting orders to his cousin as they made their way down the long flight of stairs and then back across the main first floor of the old factory.

"Kono. We need two more ambulances ..plus a drug decontamination unit .. tell them to be ready for shock, head trauma and a GSW."

They got him out of the toxic environment as quickly as possible and laid him gently down by the assembled HPD vehicles. Danny's eyes were partially opened and he moaned in pain as Steve took the first aid kit to stem the bleeding from the gunshot wound to his side.

"Oxygen? Anyone got a portable?" He snapped out demands as he took over. But another HPD officer was already adjusting the mask over Danny's nose and mouth. He was then making a fuss over the deep bruising that ran along Danny's chin from Joe Clancey's solid blow and then the second head wound.

"These look bad, too." At that, Steve switched places with Chin to check Danny's head wounds.

"Damn them." He muttered worriedly as he thumbed Danny's eyes open one by one. "Pupils are uneven and unresponsive. Danny? You with us still?"

Ana was pacing a short distance away with Kono who was hesitant to touch the distraught girl. Her fingers were still running through her hair as she grabbed and released it clump after messy, black clump. Torn between remembering the truth of that terrible night and seeing Danny's injuries, Ana was inconsolable. Kono had called for two more ambulances as instructed by her cousin. And now, after seeing the girl's frantic state she was now glad that she had as distant sirens could be heard approaching the site.

On his knees holding thick piles of gauze to Danny's head wound, Steve was mere inches from his nose as he pleaded with his friend to open his eyes more.

"Danno? Come on, pal. Answer me. Are you with us?" The first ambulance was pulling in just as Danny's eyes tried to focus on Steve's face but he was forced aside by the first medical team. Over their backs Steve saw his eyes flutter once and then twice before they closed for good. He lingered worriedly just out of the way, as the medics performed a rapid and succinct triage. But Steve was shocked to see one run for a backboard and neck brace. His alarmed expression prompted the medic to offer a short explanation about the head wound.

"We need to immobilize his neck and head .. we aren't liking the looks of this. It will be much safer for transport." Steve shared a worried look with Chin before moving to give them yet more room to lift the board onto a wheeled stretcher.

And then Steve had to stop before getting into the ambulance because Ana clearly had the same idea and he was forced to catch her up in his arms. "Wait, Ana. You can't .. you can't go in there."

"No! I'm going with him. I need to be with him!" They gripped each other in the brief altercation; both upset and worried but Steve was adamant.

"Ana, you need to get checked out too. Stay with my officers." But it took both him and Kono a long few minutes to convince and insist that she get in the second or even the third ambulance. Still unconscious, Robbie Clancey was being cared for and stabilized by the second medical team for transport. And he was under heavy guard regardless of his medical condition. Ana followed Steve's hand and burst into tears when she absorbed part of the organized chaos taking place around them. The yard was swarming with police, medical teams, and other hazardous materials professionals and it was very overwhelming. But she wasn't willing to leave Danny.

"I can't." She cried harder as Kono anchored herself to the girl. She then waved frantically when the third EMT team arrived to draw their attention towards Ana. And then it only happened because Kono kept a firmly persistent hold on the girl's forearm and forcibly explained the need for decontamination.

"I'll go with you. We'll all meet Danny at the hospital. But you do honestly need to get officially checked out." Kono got into Ana's space and forcibly guided her backwards to sit on the gurney. "Ana, I promise. We're wasting time and he needs to get there."

Without a backwards glance, Steve knew Kono had it covered as he dove in to take a seat next to his partner and placed his hand on Danny's shoulder. He was relieved to see Danny's eyes fighting to open, though he still wasn't focusing well or even trying to speak.

"Why didn't you tell me about Ana?" He bent down to mutter his worried questions. "Danno? Ana's okay .. she's fine."

Danny seemed to be breathing better now that he was in the ambulance but Steve's face was tight with stress. Something seemed off as Danny became more lethargic and the medics were running IV lines and relaying information incessantly to the emergency room. None of which sounded especially good to Steve's ear.

"What was the gas he was exposed to?" One of the medics was checking Danny's lung sounds and frowning at the oddly shallow breaths. "It's as if he's drowning .. there's no volume so to speak."

Leaning forward, he opened the oxygen full and attached a pulse oximeter to Danny's finger.

"Propane. He was exposed for about ten minutes." Steve explained and the medic's eyes widened in surprise. It was becoming almost too much as Steve pinched the bridge of his nose to fight the sudden flare of a headache.

"Why? He seemed better with the oxygen."

"I've never actually seen propane poisoning before." The medic was honest as he shook his head to disagree. Pausing, he went back to avidly checking Danny's lung sounds and oxygen saturation. His face was more serious as he noted the readings and then took a moment to finish his explanation.

"Propane takes the place of oxygen in the lungs, makes breathing difficult or impossible. He is breathing, but it's much too shallow. He's having a fair amount of trouble plus his heart beat is irregular too .. I don't like any of this." Steve closed his eyes tightly against the medic's warnings before leaning forward to whisper in Danny's ear.

"You're going to be okay, Danny." Steve gripped his arm gently as his eyes rolled alarmingly behind closed lids. He was taking measured breaths of oxygen but giving out with a harsh cough with every other shallow inhale.

He didn't think it was possible to feel so sick or to be so very disoriented as sounds fluctuated around him. He could feel movement and even sense the frenetic rush, but the white noise was only noise. Danny was unable to speak and even if he could, he knew that there wouldn't be a logical question his brain might be willing to construct. So he lay there in the ambulance and attempted to focus on one thing.

He was surprised when that one thing was his own name. But a cough rattled him and he scrunched his face painfully as it tore at his chest and then moved upwards to his head. He guessed he moaned then because he heard his name once more and fingers gripped the hand he had tried to lift.

"Danny?"

And Danny finally did hear him then. The splintered words from a haze of sound became a sentence that he could understand. However, the tone was distinctly worried. Danny also clearly heard that Ana was okay and he trusted that she was; if Steve was there then it also meant that Robbie was no longer a threat. But he was having trouble breathing and his head was a constant throb of aching pain.

"Steve?" He thought he managed to project Steve's name but then wasn't sure so he fought again. Danny fought hard to make his stubborn eyes open just for a few seconds to find Steve only inches from his face. And if not for the harsh cough, Danny would have managed the sketchy smile of success. Instead he merely blinked as Steve's mouth moved and a question was repeated.

"Ana's safe, Danno. But why didn't you tell me?"

Aneurysm face. Yes, Danny could see that too until he realized that he owed his very worried friend an answer and he seemed obligated to make his voice work. He didn't seem to be able to breathe comfortably which vaguely alarmed him. But then he couldn't remember the question and he frowned unhappily as his eyes dipped closed.

"Hey!" No, not yet." It seemed important to both Steve and the medics that he remain awake. But he was going to lose the battle regardless of his valiant efforts. Another cough shook him and jarred his head making him wince. The tightness in his chest was nearly overwhelming and he tried to suck in more air. But then Danny could feel Steve's fingers pressing tightly into his shoulder as he gave him a tiny shake.

"Why didn't you tell me about Ana?"

And then it was almost too faint as his lips twitched briefly into a ghost of a weak smile. His reply was equally too softly slurred behind the heavy oxygen mask and his eyes were sliding shut again. Steve quickly leaned closer and caught it though but the audacity of the simple words shocked him.

"It's .. classified."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve stood at the foot of Danny's hospital bed just leaning on the frame as he studied his partner's bruised face. The swelling had begun to ease but the left side of his chin still hosted a vibrant array of color. It certainly wasn't pretty, but it would subside. The bullet wound had been a clean through and through, so that too, was healing well and didn't pose any lasting issues.

But the white bandages gracing the left side of his head near his temple hid a small incision in his skull made by the doctors to remove two small blood clots. There had been no complications and the bone flap was now sutured back in place to heal. However, the fact that it had been done in the first place was nearly incomprehensible. Adding in a prolonged inhalation of propane gas had been the final insult.

Cataloging each and every injury, Steve's own expression was bland and he looked completely emotionless .. on the outside. On the inside he was churning with feelings that ranged the full gamut of sadness, shock and even .. pity. And now that Steve was getting to know Ana and her past, it was almost easy to justify Danny's over-protective behavior with Grace.

But the only two words Danny had whispered in five days when they got him out of the old building had been in response to Steve's senseless questions in the ambulance.

 _"Why didn't you tell me about Ana? At least her story if she were here?"_ Danny had roused briefly in the fresh air and seemed even better in the ambulance hooked up to an oxygen mask. But the medics said otherwise as they focused on his poor respiration and erratic heartbeat. Danny had only seemed slightly better .. maybe not okay, but almost alright until he'd lost consciousness and his vitals had suddenly bottomed out.

 _"It's classified."_ Semi-conscious and a much too faint quirk of his lips and then Danny was gone. Five days. Not a sound and barely a movement or twitch of a finger. The only visual improvement, if one could even be declared was his recent removal from the ventilator.

As of that morning, Danny was at least breathing on his own and over the worst of the propane poisoning. He was slowly healing from the craniotomy to remove the blood clotting hematoma and he'd been upgraded to an improved guarded condition. The doctor's decision to remove the vent and opt for a more simple oxygen mask was received with a great deal of relief .. and fear.

_"It's classified."_

Steve knew now how it felt for his partner every time he had so blithely said those two words himself. He was hurt; the two words hurt his feelings and made him feel so helpless, hopeless and even betrayed and yet Steve knew he had no right to feel that way at all. Danny was a good cop and he'd been on the job a long time. Of course, he would have a veritable heap of old cases, occasional failures and a long list of prior accomplishments. Steve felt he knew all of them or at least those that mattered. But Mitch Runyon, Jana Madison and her daughter, Ana were all unknowns. An old homicide. A closed case. And long-sealed files that strived to protect a little girl.

_"It's classified."_

He abruptly walked away from the bed to stare out the window in an attempt to force himself to think of something else. Anything else. Of course though, he could only think of the case and the discovery of the meth lab which gave Five-0 yet another job to take care of. The dangerous and complicated process of dismantling it was done by a professional team. Everyone exposed that morning had gone through a proper course of decontamination. And now, amongst a myriad of other things Joe Clancey, his cousin Robbie and Paul Kelly had been charged with two counts of kidnapping and attempted murder made much worse by the inclusion of a police officer.

Robbie Clancey was currently in the same hospital. One wing over and two floors up. Under guard, he had sustained a broken leg that required surgery to install pins and a plate that he would carry for the rest of his days. Even after healing, he would limp and likely be affected by every change in the weather. Steve had visited the wing once to confirm his status. But Ana hadn't even mentioned his name.

Clancey would be duly processed, charged and arraigned accordingly for what he had orchestrated against Danny and Ana; but he would also be questioned long and hard in relation to his associations with the larger meth dealing operation.

After all of it was said and done, he and the other two conspirators would all be facing life sentences. Five-0 would continue to work long after that to disassemble the larger drug dealing operation.

Of them all, oddly Ana seemed to be faring the best. As a victim and she would not lose her new job, plus she was proactively seeking professional counseling. She visited Danny every day .. and cried .. except for that evening. Only a few hours earlier, Steve watched her silently change and essentially pull herself up by her invisible bootstraps. She'd given herself a firm mental shake and Steve saw her strength and why Danny knew she was so special even as an eight year old child.

"You need to wake up. Grace is scared, Danny." Steve turned back to the bed as his thoughts hopelessly returned to the hospital room. He was more worried than he had been in a long time.

The hard hits to Danny's head had caused a linear fracture of his skull near his temple. The CAT scan had discovered the epidural hematoma and there'd been no discussions after that. He'd survived a two-hour emergency surgery to remove the buildup of blood putting pressure on his brain. Then there was the ventilator. The propane gas poisoning was a major complication for it had settled heavily in his lungs to take up space. Which meant Danny had less volume for life-saving air until the propane was expelled from his body. Weak and in shock, he needed help to breathe and so the machine and what it meant hadn't only frightened Grace.

The litany of injuries and their treatments went on and on; it was overwhelming for his friends and family as each hour turned into too many long days.

Danny was weaker than Steve had ever seen him. Small, fragile and now in a comatose state, his brain activity had now slightly increased after the vent had been removed earlier that morning. The doctors were quick to stress that as a hopeful sign and they were encouraged by each individual small improvement; but everyone was on edge and afraid of the worst case scenario becoming the truth.

"Come on, Danno. You need to wake up." In his mind Steve added  _please_  so many times he'd lost count.

"Five days, pal. Tomorrow begins day six. Wake up." Danny's doctor had examined him just a short while ago and had quizzically checked and rechecked his latest readings. Once more, he had expressed pleasure with the incremental improvements and said as much to Steve.

So now cautiously optimistic, Steve was the last one at the hospital. Night had fallen long ago and he couldn't bring himself to leave spurred on by the doctor's more positive comments. And for some reason, he couldn't stop talking and demanding what still could become the impossible.

He scowled at the oxygen mask and white bandages, but what bothered him the most was the utterly lax body. This should not have happened. And there was a tiny flare of anger as Steve almost pounded the bed frame in frustration. Louder than he meant to be and definitely more emotional, Steve glared at Danny's too calm expression.

"Classified my ass! I can't believe you said that to me!" Running both hands over his face, Steve was immediately penitent and his whisper was barely audible. "Sorry, Danny. I'm sorry. But really .. of all the damned things to say."

Danny's fingers feebly pulled at the sheets but Steve missed it as he walked around to the sit in the chair by the bedside. He missed it the second time too, because his eyes were closed while he was resting his forehead on the bed's metal side-rails.

But he noticed the most obvious change when he leaned backwards to wearily run his gaze over Danny's blanket-covered body.

"Danny?" Pale eyes were staring directly at him and Steve physically knocked the chair backwards as he stumbled to his feet. Danny winced when the hard metal chair clattered so noisily to the floor.

"Sorry!" The inane word was also too loud and Danny winced again but he was tracking his partner and every clumsy move he was making. And he was vainly trying to understand the much too fast ramble that was spewing from Steve's mouth.

"God, Danny. You missed everyone today. Grace was here with Rachel. Chin and Kono left just a few minutes ago. And Ana .. she was here too but right before dinner. It's late .. and it's been five days."

Steve was shaking his head as he thumbed the call button and placed a soothing hand on his chest. "Just .. don't close your eyes yet .. please." There was a faint nod as Danny's left hand came up to loosely hold Steve's wrist.

Tired and confused, Danny knew he had missed something. He had been part of  _something_ , but for the life of him he had no idea what Steve was going on about. He wasn't even yet sure where he was and he definitely didn't understand  _why_. But based on his partner's stress level and anxiety, Danny fought to stay awake though it was a terrible struggle. There was a telling face; an expression that combined so many different things, that Danny wasn't quite sure he could define it accurately and thinking was simply too difficult.

And he ached with a bone-tired weariness that he didn't fully comprehend but he also couldn't yet fully ask about it since his mouth refused to work. Mushy and lethargic, his brain was quite unwilling to cooperate or to fire on all its pistons. And so, he could only watch Steve putter worriedly around his bedside has he thumbed the nurse's call button and then one-handed, smoothed the blankets around his chest.

Danny frowned then and pushed through some of the reluctant cobwebs. "Steve?" The soft whisper sapped his energy and when his fingers lost their grip, Steve snared them back up again.

"It's okay, the doctor's here."

He squinted up at the new face and blearily tried to follow the brief instructions. He even managed to communicate his understanding of a few basic questions as Steve strangled the bedside rail on the opposite side. And Danny got most of the questions right, but when he was asked if he knew why he was hospitalized; Danny noticeably faltered and then became agitated as the doctor quickly rushed to soothe him.

"It's normal." Both the doctor and Steve tried to reassure him, but Danny continued to search each face uneasily. The doctor offered him a genuine smile and slowly repeated himself. "Rest, Detective. Trust me that this is normal and you'll be fine."

"You heard the man, Danny. It's normal and you only need to focus on gaining your strength back." Steve was now sitting on the edge of the bed after the doctor's latest exam and virtually beaming in relief. The former dark expression was replaced with a new calm but that only allowed his own exhaustion to creep in through the weary lines around his eyes.

"Maybe tomorrow, Danny." His voice had fallen to a deep settling near-whisper as Danny's eyes began to slide shut. It was easy to see that Danny was mentally and physically debilitated by the brief interaction. But what no one knew was how baffled he was by Steve's much too worried attention. Allowing his eyes to close, Danny melted into the blankets but he was still listening to Steve talk.

"If you didn't hear me before, Ana's fine. She's good, Danny. Everyone will be here tomorrow." Danny's fingers returned a weak pressure and then slackened in his hand. He seemed to fall into a natural asleep and Steve viciously rubbed the ache from his forehead.

"Maybe tomorrow. But Danno, it doesn't matter because things are going to be better now." Danny sighed to himself because he could hear the glimmer of a smile and Steve's voice held a lighter note. Whatever had happened, was over and he fell asleep peacefully as Steve continued to murmur quietly.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	13. Chapter 13

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter 13**

But Danny didn't remember that day, the next day or even the day after. The last thing he could remember was driving Grace to school the morning he had been abducted. Photographs of Paul Kelly were met with a blank stare and a totally bewildered stunned look. Danny didn't remember any aspect of his abduction or the threats or his failed attempt at escaping with Ana. Steve gently broached the subject first and then helped Ana explain how and why they seemed to know each other. It was then Robbie's name had been brought up in much more detail. And the mention of Robbie Clancey's name had sent him over a dangerous edge that he kept tamped down until Ana left for the evening.

"He was .. here? In Honolulu?"

"Actually, he still is Danno. He had a bit of an  _accident_  at the factory." Danny missed the stray smirk on Ana's face as he tried to digest what Steve was explaining to him. She was perched on the edge of the bed watching his reaction to the news and trying to bury her rising concern that he wasn't putting two and two together yet. Ana smiled reassuringly as Danny's eyes flew to her face and he measured her well-being.

"And you ... you're okay? Nothing happened? You didn't get hurt?" Ana was already shaking her head no and studiously avoiding Steve because they hadn't yet decided when they would let Danny know her case files had been re-opened. In fact joke or not, Danny certainly didn't recall telling Steve that his past with Ana was classified.

"I swear that I'm totally fine and I'm scheduled to return to work in a day or two. We're only worried about you and when you'll be released, Uncle Danny." The doctors were still hemming and hawing at providing even a provisional date to his release. With the variety of injuries he had endured, Danny was slow in recovering his strength and stamina. The shortest of escorted strolls up the corridor had ended in a breathless, tottering near-fall.

Glassy-eyed now from his usual fatigue, it was compounded by their startling confession. Briefly closing his eyes, Danny leaned back in the pillows and Ana took it has her queue to leave for the day but Danny had other ideas.

"Uncle Danny, get some sleep and I'll stop by tomorrow." Grabbing her fingers, he stopped her mid-way from getting up from the bed.

"No." It was said as a terse command. And Ana nervously glanced once towards Steve because right then and there, they were going to be forced into discussing her case files. He realized it too based on his change in expression. "What else do you have to say? I know there's more. I can see it."

Looking from one to the other, Danny waited and chewed slowly through what he'd been told so far before speaking again. He aimed the statement directly at Steve as Ana sat hesitantly down once more on the edge of the bed. "You got her files opened."

She grimaced at the angry expression growing across Danny's face. He was upset for her but becoming very mad with Steve. And while she had her own very stressful moments, Ana had mostly come to terms with the news and took solace in understanding how Danny had tried so very hard to protect her. Carefully, she tried to interrupt the growing tension to stress that everything was alright.

"It's really okay, Uncle Danny. I'm fine. I really am." It was a role reversal for the two of them and it almost rendered Danny speechless as he tried to wrap his head around what was now being confirmed.

"Please, don't be mad." Worried about his health, Ana smiled warmly as she leaned forward to give him a settling hug. "I truly am okay. Stop worrying so much."

"You weren't supposed to ever know. The files were closed for a reason. By an official and formal court order." The angry glare over her shoulder was meant all for Steve and though it was continuing to surprise him, Steve bravely absorbed it.

"Ana, I never wanted you to know. It was an accident .. just a terrible accident. And a blessing that you never could remember it."

Danny's voice was full of a rough emotion and it was then that Steve decided to leave the two alone. It was their history; their relationship. Steve had no immediate answers and it was best to allow them the time they needed to come to terms with what had happened. So he sat quietly in the waiting room for almost thirty minutes until Ana finally came out of the room searching for him.

"I think he's okay. He's very tired now and I wish he hadn't figured it out so soon." Ana was teary-eyed and wiping her nose with a tissue. "I hope he accepts that I'm fine because I really am."

Steve watched her leave quietly before re-entering the room. The head of the bed was raised and Danny's eyes were closed, but based on the tightness in his face he was far from sleeping. Strings had been pulled all the way up to Governor Denning and after Ana left, Danny wasn't interested in the rationale. He was too quiet when Steve pulled the chair up to sit near the bed; much too quiet and Steve felt obligated to speak first to offer an explanation.

"Danno." Steve groaned softly and ran his hands over his face. It was as far as he got as Danny's harsh whisper interrupted him.

"No. There is no reason for what you did. From what you're telling me, Robbie would have killed me anyway. What good did this do? You could have ruined her life. You took an unnecessary chance with all of your god-given, self-righteous clearances and almighty ability to pull every damned string in the book! And now Ana has a stigma she will always carry in the back of her mind."

"Danny, there's a good reason for all of this." Alarmed by Danny's rising temper, Steve dropped his voice in an attempt to bring defuse the situation. His partner was red-faced and getting louder by the second while the heart monitor began to ping in warning. But he stopped cold when Danny's hand came up in the space between them.

"Just. Don't." Danny's eyes were flashing with anger. He rubbed his forehead where a nasty headache was forming near the craniotomy incision and he failed at hiding a grimace caused by the sharp flitting pains.

"You had no right." The last few words were said softly, but with a terrible finality and Steve's stomach clenched at the dismissive tone. " I think you should leave."

"Danny, I really .. I  _had_  to." He tried again but Danny was thumbing the head of the bed down. Seconds later, he was turning over so that his back faced the door .. and Steve. The cold gesture left Steve staring dismally at the forlorn, blanket-wrapped shape. He looked over his shoulder to see a nurse entering the room to investigate the loud voices and she made a face at the beeping heart monitor before tapping her watch.

Now forced to leave, Steve rose to his feet and only offered one more apologetic whisper which was not acknowledged.

"I'm sorry, Danny. I had no choice."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Two days later, Steve canceled the get-together he had been planning for that Saturday to welcome Danny home from the hospital. The doctors had unanimously agreed that he could be discharged prior to the weekend. However, it was more than obvious that the guest of honor wasn't interested in any type of celebration and least of all at Steve's expansive beach house. In fact Chin was tasked with the delicate job of informing Steve that he would be picking Danny up from the hospital when he was released that same day.

"He'll get over it, Steve. When he feels better, he will get over it. This thing with Ana was something that he kept to himself for an incredibly long period of time." But that final decision had hurt him and entering a funk of sorts, Steve didn't quite believe they would wind up in the same place ever again.

"Does he think he's going home to that apartment? Alone?" He asked almost calmly and then sighed miserably when Chin confirmed it. "He's going to be alone and is getting over a serious head injury, Chin."

"I know. But it's his choice and he won't be exactly alone. Kono and I will swing by as often as possible." The explanation wasn't supposed to add fuel to the fire, and yet it did.

"Kono's stocking the place now and making sure he's got everything within easy reach."

Chin shifted uncomfortably in Steve's office and then checked the time; he was due to pick Danny up right before lunch.

"Listen. I can talk to him .. I  _will_  talk to him."

"No. Don't bother." Leaning down, Steve pulled the files back out that he had shoved haphazardly into the desk drawer. He tossed his car keys into the drawer in their place and sat back down. "I have work to do."

Chin stood there for a moment before simply turning and walking away. The fall-out with Danny was purely unexpected and the team was in a turmoil. He had chosen to confide solely in Chin and other than that, Danny was only responsive to Ana or Grace. And when he picked up his friend from the hospital and safely transferred him from wheelchair to car, Chin's own brand of anger got the better of him.

He managed to keep himself quiet until he parked at Danny's apartment. He even managed to stay calm as he laid out the pain medications and antibiotics on the counter. Kono had done an excellent job stocking the refrigerator and cabinets too. Danny was sitting quietly at the kitchen table as Chin prepared them both a somewhat elaborate lunch. Every so often he would turn from the counter and frown at the back of Danny's head.

Chin had to bite his tongue until he managed to get some food into his friend, followed by the medications and then hopefully, send him directly to bed. The first few days being home from the hospital would be the most difficult and he needed his rest. But Chin started his soft tirade almost immediately upon plunking his own fork down. There had been very little conversation and Danny was beginning to look drawn and tired from being on his feet too long.

"You can't do this, Danny. It's not right." He couldn't say that he hadn't expected Chin to say absolutely nothing. The tension in the small kitchen could be cut with a knife. But Danny froze and studied his half-empty plate, though he blindly accepted the water and pills that Chin slid over as he began to speak.

"This whole thing is going to tear the two of you apart at the seams; not to mention the team. We're all affected by what happened and frankly, we would all do it again."

Danny refused to answer but hearing no argument was technically a good thing. "Think about our perspective. We lost you; we had nothing to go on. Barely the trace of a clue .. a mere hint and it wasn't enough. So while you worry and blame Steve and all of us for nearly destroying Ana's life ... remember that we almost lost you."

Chin hesitated as he pushed himself back from the table and got to his feet. Danny's shoulders were slumped as he sat silently at his kitchen table toying now with his utensils. "Robbie may have killed you regardless. That's true. No one will dispute that. But Ana also isn't eight years old anymore and if anything, the truth has made her love you more. She's far from destroyed, Danny. She's stronger and better for knowing you."

The continued lack of response was a combined blessing and Chin made a face as Danny's fingers unconsciously traced his side where the bullet wound was healing. He was tired and sore; it was more than time now to follow doctor's orders.

"Come on .. let's get you off your feet." But that, Danny refused with a quick shake of his head.

"I'd like to sit up for awhile." His voice was subdued but resilient. So with that, Chin left with a heavy heart and the hope that he had made a dent in the stubborn man. It had taken him days to voice those feelings and he was positive .. without a shadow of a doubt .. that Ana would agree wholeheartedly.

Danny sat quietly in his kitchen for a very long time. The empty plates of food were long forgotten and a few stray tears were running down his cheeks. Not quite a fool, he only ever had the best intentions and yet Chin was right on all counts.

But then, he didn't know yet what to do so he called Ana. He spoke to her for a long time to make sure that she was okay and then insisted on apologizing for not being to remember most things. Ana calmly and very patiently explained again what had happened that day and did her best to reassure him. But after hanging up, Ana stared at her office phone. Something more was wrong and she abruptly left the office for the remainder of the day.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny was shocked to find Ana standing in his hallway less than fifteen minutes after speaking to her. He frowned defensively when she pointed to his pained expression and much too pale complexion.

"Why are you here?"

"I was right." Ana pushed past him to enter the apartment, only happy to at least see the empty plates on the table. "Who was here? You ate lunch?"

Danny closed the door and slowly followed her back into the kitchen, ignoring her last two questions and going after her first annoying statement. He couldn't remember when she had become so bossy and his frown deepened unhappily.

"What exactly were you right about?"

"I know this is going to sound callous." Ana leaned up against the counter and folded her arms. "But this  _thing_  about me finally knowing the truth .. I think it bothers you more than it actually bothers me. This is the last time that I'm going to say it, too. I'm dealing with it Uncle Danny and I'm fine."

"You didn't need to know." He stood angrily now with just the kitchen table separating them. Unable to help himself, Danny's voice rose as he leaned on the back of a chair.

"Robbie would have done what he did .. regardless .. he was playing with fire and he didn't even know the truth. What was in those sealed files didn't serve a purpose by being voiced. What was in those documents did absolutely nothing for Steve ... it did nothing in getting us out. Having those files unsealed served absolutely no purpose."

Ana studied him closely and shook her head. "No."

"No? What?"

"It turns out that Steve was right, too." If it was possible, the simple words clouded his expression even more and Ana firmly set her jaw to dig in for an argument.

"He said that you would protect me at all costs. So you would let me think that you killed my mother? Suppose Steve and your team didn't come. Then what? You would have died and Robbie would have won because I would have believed him, Uncle Danny. And who knows .. maybe I would have even gone with him at that point because I might not have cared anymore."

"There is no way you would have gone with him." Danny was angry and he shook his head to disagree. "You're better than that."

"Do you know that for sure? I would have had nothing left. So who knows what I really might have done." Her voiced was full of sarcasm, but what she said held a spark of truth. Neither of them could guess what a different ending might have created. Leaning up against his counter with her arms crossed, Ana wanted to scream at him. She hated his pale complexion and war-weary defeated expression. He seemed to be constantly tired and hadn't smiled in days. But instead of yelling, her voice fell to an injured whisper.

"I love you more than anything. But can't you see what hiding the truth would have done to us? To me?"

Danny palmed the space between his eyes where his head was beginning to throb. Her next question made him squint painfully through his pending headache. "You aren't mad at them are you? Because honestly, I'm not. Steve did what he needed to do and regardless of what you think, it got us both out of there."

He flinched when she threw her hands up in the air and rocketed off the side of the counter. " _Them_ " was " _Steve_ " and they both knew what her pointed words meant.

"If it's possible, I think I love you even more. But Uncle Danny, there are a lot more people than just me who need you. Especially your daughter, Grace. And if Steve hadn't come, not knowing the truth would have been so much worse. Can't you see that?" It was a fight for her to keep her voice level as she desperately tried to make her point. She felt a small feeling of success when he wavered on his feet and met her worried eyes.

"Wow." He didn't know what to say as he sank down into the closest chair. He had never considered what might have occurred beyond keeping Ana safe from one particular truth that was on an old piece of paper. He might have only saved her from one reality only to find the potential for a much more terrible second. And there was so much more in his life to consider now.

"I don't know." Tired and with his head now pounding, Danny closed his eyes and muttered softly into his hand. "I'm sorry."

Two strong arms circled his shoulder and he felt Ana gently pull him to his feet. "Uncle Danny, you're just tired and not well yet." Ana coaxed him into the bedroom and aimed him towards the bed. It was perfectly made up and she  _tsked_  at the exhaustion lining this face.

"You need to trust that I'm fine. And you have to let us take care of you now. Right now we all want you to get better." She felt useful as she lowered the window shades and made sure his cell phone was within reach. He watched her in astonishment as she took over his apartment and smoothly got him comfortable while incessantly talking about her job.

"I have to work this weekend. We're opening a new hotel on Molokaʻi and I get to try my hand at preparing the internal press release for our employee base." Ana was excited but also concerned about leaving him alone. She held up her finger warningly and he slammed his mouth shut so that she could continue uninterrupted.

"No. You are going to sleep! What I wanted to say is that I may not have time to call you before I get back on Sunday night." It was her turn to bite her lip and frown at his pensive face. But she could see that her news at least distracted him for a moment and he was proud of her.

"Promise me you'll call Chin, Kono or Steve if you need something?" She wasn't aware of his harsh words to Steve but she had seen the small cloud cross his face when she first mentioned his name. It had been much too obvious. So before leaving, she stressed one very key point. She said it warmly and with another special hug and kiss before locking him safely into his own apartment. She definitely wasn't eight-years old anymore and her maturity left him dumbfounded. Drained and emotionally exhausted, his head was pounding when she left him. Her parting comment was earnest and thoughtful.

_"No one ever loved me before I met you. But please don't forget about the other people who need you."_

So Danny lay there a long time in his comfortably darkened bedroom. Ana had written down what medicines he had taken and when. A tall glass of water sat within reach next to his cell phone which she had ensured was fully charged. But, it was on vibrate so if he fell asleep he wouldn't be disturbed. He chuffed another bewildered sound at the whirlwind of a young girl that had just effectively taught him a major lesson. And now after Ana's unexpected visit, Danny was left realizing that he needed to come to terms with his own version of the truth.

However, outside in the parking lot, Ana was sitting in her car and determinedly rummaging through her new pocketbook. Gayle had been so upset over what had happened with Robbie, that a new bag was the first thing she had thought of. On her first day back at work, Ana had found the pretty new bag placed on her desk with a large ostentatious yellow bow. It was a sweet, touching gift and Ana had cried with Gayle joining in.

"Here it is." Ana was not quite angry, but she was worried as she lay the coveted business card on her knee. Things were not sitting right with her even though Danny had finally seemed to absorb everything she had so diligently tried to explain. Her new cell phone found its way into her hand and moments later she was pounding out the number into the device.

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	14. Chapter 14

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter 14**

"We haven't heard from him all afternoon." Steve hadn't actually asked, but Chin volunteered the information as they left together for the Governor's offices. It was obvious what had been lurking in the back of Steve's mind all day. Worry and ill-concealed concern for his friend's general well-being; but also the gnawing more emotional dark feelings in the pit of his stomach.

And those thoughts and feelings only worsened after being called to an unexpected late afternoon meeting with the Governor. It made a long day, much longer and more stressful.

"We need to leave now." Kono had her keys in hand and was closing her office for the evening. "I'll meet you both there in the lobby." Since it was so late in the day, they would take separate vehicles in order to part ways afterwards. Before leaving the offices now with only Chin, his friend also gently described his very one-sided discussion.

"He needed to hear our perspective on all of this, Steve. He took it well. And he knows .. he's upset only for Ana's sake." As another flicker of concern crossed Steve's face, he hastily added a few reassuring words.

"I'm sure he's fine and just needs space. With luck, he's even sleeping which he desperately needs to get back on his feet."

Steve merely nodded after that as they separated in the parking lot. But as he started the engine of his pickup truck, his cell phone rang. He didn't immediately recognize the number and was surprised to hear Ana's young voice on the other end.

 _"I'm on my to Molokaʻi for work. But I saw Uncle Danny this afternoon. He should be sleeping right now; he's very tired."_ Steve was instantly relieved that someone else had stopped by the apartment. In fact, he was more relieved than he would readily admit as he listened to Ana recount her visit.

 _"We had a long talk."_ He heard the smile in her voice and then the distinct note of sarcasm. He stifled a dramatic wince as he realized Danny had been possibly read a very similar riot act by two different people in the very same day. But Ana's tone and incessant chatter were already creating a lop-sided grin on his own face. When she said that she was fine, she truly meant it because she was lively and naturally engaging. Her frustration originated from other people who continued to treat her with kid gloves; people who were constantly inquiring now about her well-being. She was a tough cookie and the more Steve "learned" Ana Madison, the more he appreciated her feistiness which was proven by the relative ease of her very phone call to him.

_"Well, actually I did most of the talking. We rehashed my case file again and all the reasons why it's all really okay. And I'm sure you all plan to check in on him, but I needed to tell you that I don't think he should be entirely alone .. not quite yet."_

"Why?" Steve distractedly tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he picked up the subtle meaning behind Ana's words. In the back of his mind, he registered that Chin was leaving the office parking lot. "Is Danny sick? Was something wrong?"

" _No_." There was barely a pause before Ana spoke again and she was almost annoyed.  _"No. Not exactly wrong. He'll probably get mad at me for saying this."_

He did smile at that comment because she left the brazen " _but I don't care_ " hanging unsaid in the air. There were parts of Ana's personality that suspiciously mimicked her Uncle Danny and such sarcasm was one example.

 _"He can barely make it the few feet from the kitchen to the bedroom. I also have my suspicions and I'm not entirely sure .. but he's sad. He's already not taking care of himself. And being so sad is the worst type of being alone."_ She suddenly became more thoughtful before ending the call.

 _"He's caught up in the past .. and I'm not that little girl anymore."_ Ana's voice became tearful after an invisible struggle to stay in control. _"I'm not sure he believes a word that I say and he needs to get well. I need him to get well."_

Steve couldn't leave work with the pending meeting with Denning occurring within the next thirty minutes. But he took his time with Ana who had now burst into tears on the phone. A large part of her very soul felt responsible for Danny's kidnapping and severe injuries with Robbie Clancey. When she said that she needed Danny to get well, it was said with a raw honesty that impacted her own well-being too.

"Ana. Go on your business trip this weekend. You won't be that far away and I promise .. one of us will call you." A few final sniffles ended the call and even though Ana thought he might be sleeping, Steve immediately hit his speed dial for Danny's cell phone.

It rang until it went to voicemail and rather than leaving a message, Steve simply ended the call. He considered trying one more time, but if Danny was in fact sleeping, he would only disturb him. Plus both Kono and Chin had now long left the parking lot. They likely were already at the Governor's offices and he couldn't risk running much later.

Frowning and assuming Danny was dutifully resting, Steve finally stowed his cell phone and pushed his truck into gear to follow his team.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Inside the peacefully darkened apartment, Danny slowly kicked off the blankets and struggled painfully into a seated position. The click of the lock to his front door had barely sounded and he was already on the move. He was physically worn out from his first long strenuous day at home, so much so that his healing side was also chiming in resentfully and he had to wrap his arm protectively around his waist. But there was no way he could even attempt to sleep at that point.

Danny sat on the side of his bed for a long time accumulating energy to get up and manage the simple task of getting dressed. He groaned when his cell phone vibrated a few times on the small table. Even from where he sat, he recognized Steve's number but he wasn't ready to talk yet so he let it go to voicemail. His mind was churning and fighting against the physical reality of his recovering body and doing a surprisingly good job at beating back the aches and pains. However, that was only in concert with the prescription medications that Chin had handed him. Each pill combated pain and inflammation so they were just beginning to mask the worst of his varying aches and enabling him to keep moving. He could manage being tired, but not the uncomfortable sense of claustrophobia in the dimly lit, small apartment.

So with his body mostly well in hand, Danny carefully made his way down to the parking lot and stood silently in front of his car. Another sad sigh had him unlocking the door and gently sliding in behind the wheel. He needed to do something but he wasn't quite yet certain what that was; so he aimed the Camaro towards Kuhio Beach.

It was a relatively short and easy drive, however Danny still had to pull over twice to close his eyes and refocus his energy reserves; all the time his brain was chugging through the past and the present. In the past, he rehashed the Mitch Runyon homicide case and how he had found Jana Madison. One distant shot had rung out from the upstairs as he took the steps two at a time. Already deceased on the wooden floor of the second small bedroom, Jana lay on her back with her arms outstretched. She was facing away from him as her blood pooled out from a fatal chest wound. It had taken him a long minute to understand that he was in a child's room; decorated in pink and white with flouncy curtains. Other than the newly splattered spray of blood across a cartoon poster, the room in itself was an oddity. It was a pretty oasis in the middle of a treacherous and gloomy reality.

He had been prepared to take on another adult perpetrator. Instead he heard the faint sniffles of a small child emanating from under the bed. He remembered every detail of Ana's eight-year old tear-stained face as he knelt down to carefully take the weapon from her tiny fingers. When he pulled her out, her long black hair had tickled his face as she wrapped skinny arms around his neck in a silent plea for help. From that split second encounter where he had been wholly unprepared to find a traumatized child, he had become 'Uncle Danny - protector'. Until Grace had been born, he couldn't remember having encountered such a delicate little girl.

Possessed by his thoughts, Danny hardly realized when he reached his destination. He sat silently in the public parking lot in his car and gazed across the blue expanse of ocean with the windows rolled down and the wind buffeting the area around him to bring in the strong scent of saltwater and the incessant sounds of birds. A number of tourists were there taking happy pictures near the picnic area, but he barely noticed them as he came to terms with the present and the astonishing young woman named Ana Madison.

In the quiet of the serene setting, Danny decided his next course of action. It was after five o'clock and offices should be closed or closing; and he absolutely owed Steve a return phone call. And then of course, much more. Danny made that call now but it only rang a few times and he hung up at the tell-tale sign of voicemail switching over.

Like Steve earlier, he didn't leave a voicemail message. However since he didn't know of the late meeting with Denning, Danny wondered if the situation he had created would be more difficult to rectify than he anticipated. Rubbing his eyes from the bright sunshine, he pushed down the ever-present fatigue he was experiencing as he carefully reversed his car to return the way he had come.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	15. Chapter 15

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter 15**

The meeting with Governor Denning went distressingly later than anticipated. It was nearing seven o'clock by the time they were done and able to leave for the night. Disgusted by the sometimes never-ending amount of work, Steve sighed audibly as he tossed his case book into the passenger seat and climbed into his truck. Once again, both Chin and Kono had left before him but he had made it clear that he would be swinging by Danny's place personally.

Before turning the key in the ignition, he pulled out his cell phone knowing already that Danny had tried to call him, too. He wasn't all that surprised to see that Danny hadn't left him a voicemail message, either. He hadn't been able to take the call. The meeting had just been kicking off .. late .. and based on the man's steely glare, the Governor had been in no mood for another interruption. Hesitating only briefly, Steve had reluctantly been obligated to let Danny's call go.

He took the returned call as a good sign though; one that meant he was welcome to call back again. Emotions had been running murky and deep and he hoped they could simply talk it out if and when Danny was ready. Steve leaned back in the truck and hit redial but once more there was no answer and this time, it didn't sit well. Steve was sure that Danny wouldn't be sleeping this late into the day. Staring at the screen, he frowned as he left a short message.

"Hey, Danny. Just got out of a meeting with Denning. I'm on my way over." Steve's next move was a natural, spontaneous reaction and one that he had intended from the very start. And though it could look as if they were tag-teaming their recovering friend for a third time, Steve didn't wait for a reply. He simply drove directly to the small apartment complex.

"He didn't. Where's the damn car!"

Steve's jaw immediately clenched in anger because the first thing he noticed was that the Camaro was missing; and Danny wasn't cleared to drive. He parked in an open space and counted cars to be certain before furiously yanking his cell phone out for a second time and thumbing redial firmly. Ana's voice lurked in the back of his head more ominously and now Steve was truly worried. Sad was one thing, missing again after being released from the hospital for scarcely the half of one day, was entirely something else.

Steve nervously tapped the seat of his truck as the cell phone rang once and then twice. And then on the third tone he nearly jumped when Danny's voice finally echoed back at him. The one word acknowledgement was calm, blandly quiet but certainly welcoming. And the tone immediately set him even more on edge.

" _Steven_."

"Where are you?" He had to stop himself from practically punching the steering wheel in his frustration because the only thing Steve could hear in the background was the distant sound of waves and the overwhelming cat-calls of sea-gulls. He glared suspiciously at the phone because he could have sworn he heard a poorly stifled yawn.

"Damn it, Daniel. Where in the hell are you? You have no business driving .. or even getting out of bed."

He heard the measured sigh, the rustling of a papers and then a somewhat amused but not so oddly tired, chuckle. Chin had explained Danny's release orders and two to three days of bed rest were top priorities. Ana had stressed a concern about Danny already not heeding doctor's orders. And the proof of that was staring Steve directly in the face.

_"I'm fine."_

"Daniel. Answer the first question." Driving or running around town were most definitely not part of the recovery plans, but then Steve didn't know what to think of the final explanation. On top of it, he could easily hear the hint of roughness in Danny's voice which made it sound suspiciously as if he might have even been sleeping. "Where are you?"

 _"Calm down, big guy. I'm sitting outside on your lanai, Steven. I guess we had the same idea. Ships in the night and all of that. But if you're offended by my visit, I'll leave."_ There was a pause as Danny apparently checked the time on his watch. He seemed surprised and his tone became defensive as his voice took on an odd strain.

_"In fact, I've been here for hours and it's so late .. you must have had plans. So I'll pack it up now and be gone before you ..."_

"No!" His interruption and correction were quick as his brain mis-fired and he hastily made sure that Danny would stay exactly where he was. "No, we had a meeting with Denning which ran over. So, of course not. I just .. didn't expect you to be there. Which is why I came here."

Steve groaned as he ran his hands over his face since they evidently both had similar ideas and it was starting to sound like a comedy of errors. So he quickly back pedaled as he restarted his truck and got on the road. On the other side of the connection Steve could sense Danny calming too. The minor notes of regret or possibly even defensiveness completely faded as soon as he'd said the Governor's name. But now Danny was oddly quiet and Steve couldn't help making sure things were fine.

"You okay?" There was another short pause before the small and almost startled confession reached his ears.

 _"I fell asleep."_ Biting his tongue to smother an automatically snide remark, Steve grinned to himself as Danny tried to lamely change the subject. " _So. You had a meeting_?"

"With Denning. It ran late. I'll be there in five." In his honest relief, Steve's voice lost most of its strain. "Just stay put, Danny. I'm on my way now."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny's best plan was to return to Steve's house to wait for him to come home from work. Chin was right. But most of all, Ana was right. And then his apology could only be done face to face and by the time he'd resolved himself, Danny was anxious to set things straight. Unaware of the late work meeting, that plan had taken much longer to put into play than anticipated and Danny had fallen asleep outside on the lanai. The first call from Steve had woken him in a disoriented, bleary-eyed state and he was just waking more as his phone rang a second time.

Minutes after speaking to him, Steve was standing over his partner and accepting a rather subdued but honest apology. He had noticed the unopened case of Longboards on the nearby table as well. It was a type of planned peace offering; an important aspect of any Williams' style apology .. or celebration. In fact, after purposefully pointing to the bottles Danny had begun speaking almost immediately and Steve hadn't even had a chance to lambaste him for daring to drive.

At that point, the only thing Steve could do during a short lull was repeat his much earlier words. There was nothing to recant and the honest truth was that any one of them would do it again. "Danny, really .. I  _had_  to."

"I know. It was standard protocol." The conversation was much different this time. Danny was staring blankly at the ocean as he smiled and was completely relaxed into the lounge chair. "But this thing with Ana was just something I kept so long to myself. Only a very few were privy to that knowledge and so, Ana's files were sealed. Permanently. This whole situation with her has been ours ..  _no - mine - it was mine_. For so very long."

Danny shook his head in self-disgust as he amended the words and closed his eyes, completely tapped by the long and very emotional day; not to mention the week. He had never considered how much he had made her existence his  _own_. Heaving a sigh, Steve sat down quietly next to him to listen. It was obvious that Danny needed to purge the whole story from beginning to end.

"Just so many years of keeping her safe and making sure she grew up .. whole and in one piece. I followed her through CPS and then foster care. At the time, I wasn't in any position to do anything myself and I would have. I even briefly tried to initiate the steps; but the timing was wrong. The pieces didn't fit for a single, cop father and a troubled eight-year old." Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise at the personal level of commitment Danny had dared to consider for a child he barely had known at the time.

"But she was lucky. Ana was such a pretty little girl with that long black hair and a sweet smile. And so very smart. Her foster family never officially adopted her, but they were a steady and well balanced family unit. They knew how to deal with her needs and they helped her through the night-terrors and all of those deeply buried secrets. In that, they did more than I ever could have done."

His eyes stayed closed as he recounted the story but there was a smile playing across his lips. "We kept in touch constantly. She was jealous when I met Rachel you know. She actually cried when she heard about Grace's birth. I had to reassure her that we would always be there for each other. And I did .. we did .. all these years."

Danny's next words began on a long shuddering inhale to end on the softest of whispers. "I don't know; I over-reacted I guess because I thought she wouldn't be able to handle the truth. And it was me all along. I couldn't handle having her know the truth because all I remember is the first time I saw the face of a terrified eight-year old girl hiding under a bed."

A half-grin crossed Danny's face and while it supported the new peace he was feeling, Steve could see the mounting exhaustion in the deep lines creasing his forehead. "She handled all of this much better than me. Ana was a great kid and I've still been treating her like that same little girl. She reminded me of that today, too."

"She's still lucky and she knows it." Steve smiled warmly and blew out the breath he'd been holding for what felt like an eternity. "From what I can see, she's grown into a wonderful, smart and beautiful young lady."

And then Danny was still acting almost like a proud semi-father as he beamed up at Steve. "That she has. She's one of the few to beat the system."

"I still can't believe that he showed up. Here. I can't believe what he almost did." Unable to remember what had happened that day, Danny still was shocked by Robbie Clancey's arrival on the island and what he had dared to do. Sobering now, his voice dropped to a dull whisper. He still couldn't wrap his head around what had happened and the days he'd lost in the hospital. Ana's fear merged into his own and then on to what could have been a lost future with Grace.

"She was right again, Steve. I thought I was protecting her all this time. But if she hadn't finally learned the truth, Robbie would have won. Her life could have been irrevocably destroyed especially if you all hadn't figured out exactly what was going on."

Danny massaged the space in the middle of his forehead and his fingers skimmed the small bandage still protecting the healing scar from the incision on his temple. And then his eyes met Steve's own. "The truth had to come out and it was the right thing to do. You did the right thing for this as a case, for me and for Ana .. and I don't know what else to say except that I was wrong."

"We did what we always do, Danny."

Danny made a small agreeable sound and then smiled at the truth of that simple statement which also alleviated his newly growing stress after mentioning Clancy's name. His team and his friends were one in the same. Ana wasn't the only lucky one in the equation.

"We didn't have anything to go on, Danny. Nothing." Steve took the opening to stress his own form of apology. "We didn't know who Ana was .. I didn't know where you were going that morning. Kono was critical to kick-starting our first few leads and we took off from there."

The amused and approving eye roll wasn't lost on Steve when he brought up Kono's name. The entire team was now very much well-aware of her proficiencies with virtually any type of computer related device. "One thing let to another and we didn't know if the closed files held useful clues or not; but it was the natural next step. And once we got the information, it was obvious that Robbie would never have known the real truth."

Steve paused and then scowled darkly. "So yeah .. we could maybe have taken him down without revealing the actual case data."

"No. No, Steve there's need for second guesses on this one." Danny was dismissively waving his hand in the air with a genuine acceptance. "No more  _what if's_. I've done enough of that for a lifetime."

They sat together in a friendly relaxed silence until Steve glanced over once with a sly smile spreading across his face. "So tell me, Danno. Are there any more out there that I need to know about?" The bubbling laughter was just lurking below the surface as he tried to carelessly shrug off his light taunt.

"I mean .. if you have any more of these hidden secrets, don't you think we should share more? In fact, I distinctly remember you saying that to me once."

Danny awkwardly turned in the chair with an incredulous look. "Share?"

He opened his mouth once and then twice before his finger came up soundlessly as if to object. Steve's grin widened across his face and he leaned over to snag a Longboard from the case. It felt like a victory as he stymied his normally verbose partner. But just as he opened the bottle and took his first measured pull of beer, Danny leveled him with a wicked glare.

"I can neither deny nor confirm the truth of that statement, Steven."

What little liquid had trickled down Steve's throat came flying back up as he reddened and sputtered foam over his shirt and chin. He had to use the back of his arm to wipe the beer from his face as Danny snorted happily from where he sat. "Perfect."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Less than an hour later, Steve chuckled softly to himself. He had already plucked Danny's keys coyly from where they had fallen to the ground near the lounge chair. Safely stowed in his pocket, there would be no driving on the horizon, at least for the foreseeable future. Standing, he then meaningfully held his hand out. Danny looked as if he might keel over in a sitting position if that could even be possible.

"Come on. Let's go."

Based on how Danny had left the Camaro, he had been forced to virtually park sideways in his own driveway. He also had noticed that Danny's shirt wasn't exactly buttoned correctly from top to bottom. It was off kilter beginning at the first button where he'd completely missed the proper button-hole. The resulting mis-matched attempt left it puckered and pulled as if a two-year old had participated in dressing his partner - in the dark. And Steve would never dare bring up the socks which were not even in the same color family. And now he was virtually melting into the frame of the lounge chair.

Regardless of the various clothing related faux pas, until then Danny had flatly refused to leave the comfort of the lanai. Steve also knew that refusal was a studied deflection; Danny was utterly sapped of all his energy and hoped Steve didn't notice exactly how much he'd overdone it that afternoon. But night was now falling more rapidly and he'd been dozing long enough in the pleasantly fading light of dusk.

Danny frowned quizzically at the gesture as if it was poisonous. "What? I apologized. So now, you want to hold hands?"

"I thought we'd skip down the beach together." Steve grinned at the overtly disgusted expression that crossed Danny's face and then laughed. "Yeah, and then put you to bed. No, you fool. I want to help you up and by the way you look right now, you aren't going to get too far."

Even though Danny had taken his time and had driven carefully, the too bright sun and taxing day were clearly overwhelming. After both Ana and Chin had vented their justified arguments, his own thoughts hounded him until he could get them off his chest. And the wait for Steve to get home in order to talk, had taken much too long on top of everything else. And while it was now true that he felt undeniably better, that fact only allowed his physical ills to kick back in with a vengeance. So Steve was correct as Danny practically staggered to his uncooperative feet and his knees buckled.

"Whoa, pal! You must be overdue for meds." Steve was instantly there to add a supporting hand to save him from what would have been an ugly tumble. "Consider the riot act as having been read, partner. You can't afford a relapse, especially on the first day of being released from the hospital. I almost saved you the trip but you had to take it upon yourself to drive. So, I hope you had the foresight to bring your pain medication because the only thing you are going to do is put your feet up here and get some decent rest."

The owlish look supported the validity of the fondly stated reprimand. Danny was bone-tired and his head was definitely beginning to ache from the healing damage made worse by bright sun, incessant activity and his own brand of personal, mental game playing.

"Yeah. Meds are in the car." He was finally content to be escorted into the cooler recesses of the rambling house. For the time being, bed meant the comfortable sofa and meds indicated a need for a mandatory light dinner first. After those chores had been suitably accomplished, Steve found himself spreading blankets over his soundly sleeping friend as the television hummed in the background. He was pleased to see the deep furrows and heavy stress lines ease considerably across his face as Danny readjusted his position and fell into a deeper sleep.

"Classified ." Steve gave out with a soft injured sniff and then shook his head as he remembered what Danny had forgotten as a result of the beating. Those first words still rankled him and left a bad taste in his mouth. And even though Danny didn't recall voicing it, his actions echoed his strong feelings up until that very day. But the realization of his own abused feelings gave Steve reason to pause for when he might use the word so quickly in the future.

"Classified my ass, Danno." But Danny's latest dry wit had him smirking happily. There was no way Steve could hide the chuckle at that point about his partner's correctly put use of neither being able to confirm nor deny the existence of other Ana Madison-like past cases.

The smile turned to a hesitant frown though as Steve turned from the window to gaze at the distant slumbering shape hidden safely under the mound of blankets.

Danny hadn't actually answered the question.

**_~ END ~_ **


End file.
